This season's fruit: GENTLENESS, Guest Blogger: SUPERPURPLE Tracey

1 Cor. 13:4 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand it's own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

This verse is a good mirror of whether we are living our lives according to the spirit of God. If God is love then shouldn't we try to be just like our Father? Last week my mom and I had a disagreement about something that has been going on a very long time. I was frustrated to say the least because to me it was common sense that the results she was getting out of her life were based on decisions she was making. AGAIN, I stress this has been going on a long time and in my frustration I told her the truth. At the end of the conversation she hung up on me. To me, she proved my point and I said to God "I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't say the wrong thing! She is the one with the issues and she will have to call me and apologize for hanging up on me!"

But I had "arguments" in my head about the situation ? Whenever there is an argument in your head you can bet that something is not right. We can either become proud and not face it or we can look in the mirror of this verse and see what went wrong.

I decided to look in the mirror and this is what God said. " Although what you said bore truth it was not done in love because you were not gentle with your words and this nullified everything you said". I knew right then and there that I needed to repent by humbling myself and apologizing. I called my mom last night and told her I was sorry for not being gentle with her and everything was restored. Think about this every time you make a decision. Am I doing this for my own personal gain because I am demanding my own way? If you find that you have been then rectify it and only then will you see God's hand restore it and you.

Question of the week: Dec.8 Guest Blogger: Superpurple girl TRACEY

Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them be banished

from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.''

Has the Lord left you? Has he gone away somewhere? NO, of course not! He is near and has not left you. So why do we not call on His name to help us in our time of need?

I know in the past it had been difficult for me to see God as my Father. My "vision" of a father had not been restored and I made God to be something He wasn't which was distant, cold, and uncaring. But is this the truth? NO. I would respond to God out my own "truth" rather than what God said about himself and would suffer because of my own foolishness. The TRUTH is that He says we should "seek Him" and "call on Him" and that He will have "MERCY".

It IS possible to have the very thought of "doing wrong" banished from your mind. Why? Because God WANTS to help and he WANTS to pardon you. How awesome is that?!!

The suffering of the world is that they feel as though they do not have forgiveness for their sins. They may not recognize it but we were created to live in righteousness, and when they don't, they feel the effects of that....unforgiveness. But we are not like them. We have been introduced to the ONE who will take our sins when we ask and who will pardon us in an instant.

Ask yourself today: What has taken God's place in your life? You may not know how to answer this. A way to find the answer to this question is with another...
"What is it that I seek out first, in my life"? What is it that I hunger for? We are all seeking something, hungering for more of something...
Is it fame, money, to be loved, approval....?

If you will truly answer this in your heart then you can repent and start running after the things of God WITH INTENT. Hungering for God. Seeking God. You can take the passion and turn it towards God. Run to the cross while there is time and He WILL have abundant mercy!