June 1 The Growing Season!
Galatians 5:16-23, James 2:14:26; 3:17-18, John 15:16,
Luke 6:43-45, John 15:5, Philippians 4:8

God is more interested in what you are than in what you do; He’s more interested in what you are becoming than in what you pretend to be. The fruit of the Spirit are behaviors and character traits built in you by the indwelling Holy Spirit; behaviors and traits that He uses to make you - and the Savior you reflect - evident and appealing to the world around you. You can’t pick and choose certain “fruits” because the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of Him living and working in you.

June 22 Love is not an option
1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Matthew 7:21-23, Proverbs 4:20-27,
Matthew 18:21-35, James 3:1-12, John 13:1-17

Love is an absolute necessity in the life of the Christ-follower - a love that is outward focused and includes the unlovable. We cannot withdraw from the world or separate ourselves from those who are difficult to love; love is how the world will know Jesus Christ - as they see Him in us and through us. There are many attributes of love that we need to work to establish within us and carefully nurture and cultivate so we may present Jesus’ love to the world. Once love takes full root in us, our lives will never be the same, and the people around us will see their lives changed as well.

June 29 Joy: be careful out there, someone could lose an eye!
Romans 15:13, Acts 2:28, Philippians 1:3-26, John 15:10-11,
Hebrews 12:1-13, James 1:2-12, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 16:11,
2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Romans 12:12, , Luke 6:22-23, Nehemiah 8:10

Our happiness may be dependent on our circumstances, but our joy is not. Joy is a result of having our needs met and seeing our desires fulfilled no matter the circumstances we may find ourselves in. The main prerequisite to experiencing joy is having our desires and values perfectly aligned with Christ. It’s this alignment process that sometimes makes us question our joy; but it is the process and Christ’s intended results that produce the most joy in our lives. As we get our will in line with Jesus, joy will be the outcome every time; and that’s truly cause for a celebration.

July 6 Peace, sir, may I have some more?
Philippians 4:6-9, Psalm 46:7, Psalm 91,
Matthew 6:31-34, Romans 12:17-18, Romans 8:18, 28

Peace, it seems, is not something we get once and then have forever. The world and all of its troubles tends to rob us of our peace; to diminish our peace at a steady pace. What we find is that the trials of life that come our way only help us to experience in new and wonderful ways the peace of God than transcends our understanding - building into us the very likeness of Jesus. It’s peace on the menu today and everyday. Would you like some more?

July 13 Patience is not just a girl’s name
James 1:19-20; 5:7-11, Proverbs 14:29;19:11,
Matthew 18:15-17, 21-22, Psalm 40:1-3, Romans 8:19-27

Sometimes it seems that we’ve lost the definition of patience. We live life thinking patience is the same as “anxiously waiting,” “killing time,” or “delayed gratification.” Patience is none of those things. To be patient means to “bear affliction calmly,” to “be tolerant,” to “endure serenely,” and to “persevere in the face of trouble.” Patience may mean that we take things slow and laid back; patience may require us to wait uncomplaining on something that will never come or take place in our lifetime. Fostering patience takes more of the same; it’s one of God’s most incredible attributes.

July 20 Kindness? Can I turn in the receipt?
1 John 3:17-18, Deuteronomy 22:1-4, Psalm 112:5,
Proverbs 14:21, Zechariah 7:9-10, Matthew 5:42; 25:34-36,
Luke 6:30-35, Acts 20:35, Romans 15:1-2, Galatians 6:10,
Ephesians 4:32, 1 Peter 3:8-9, Titus 3:4

Kindness is giving and helping and serving - expecting nothing in return. It’s giving and helping and serving before you consider your own needs. Kindness - the way Jesus wants us to show it - is intentionally putting others first; looking after them and their needs.

August 10 Goodness gracious!
Matthew 7:7-12, Zechariah 6:9-8:23, Luke 6:43-45, Galatians 5:16-18

Goodness is not a passive quality - it’s a deliberate preference of right to wrong. It’s the firm and persistent resistance of all wickedness, powered by the choosing and following of all godly virtues. Goodness requires the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit - but it also requires our active participation and wholehearted commitment.

August 17 Faithfulness. . . does that mean all the time?
Matthew 25:14-30, Malachi 2:10-11, Psalm 37:28,
Proverbs 3:3-4; 16:6; 20:28; Joshua 1:1-9, Hosea 2:19-20; 3:5

Believing in something is not the same as being faithful. Faithfulness is the quality of being consistently devoted to God and His will for your life; it’s the trait that directs you to support and adhere to God’s will for humanity. You can believe in God, but be faithless at the same time. When we learn to exhibit faithfulness, we are living lives that are fully connected to God.

August 24 Gentleness (Hint: it’s not the sequel to Gentle Ben)
Matthew 11:29; 12:15-21, Proverbs 15:1; 25:15,
1 Thessalonians 2:6-12, 2 Timothy 2:24-26,

It is easy to be harsh, abrupt and offensive in this world, and no matter how hard we try, it is impossible in our own strength to be gentle. We cannot close our eyes and grit our teeth and through sheer willpower make ourselves gentle; gentleness can only be produced in us by the Holy Spirit! Gentleness is in no way the same as weakness. . . to be gentle is to contain the might of a warrior in the tenderness of a friendly embrace. It’s a core quality of a follower of Christ; so it is something we should study, pray about and pray for, and submit to the disciplines that are required to bring about the trait of gentleness in our lives.

August 31 Self-Control: could someone please show me where to find the control panel?
Titus 2:11-14, James 3:1-12; 4:1-10, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,
1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19, Romans 13:11-14, Proverbs 21:5; 23:20-21

We’re to live upright and godly lives in the world. How? We’re learned that gentleness is produced by the Holy Spirit with us working to live it out. . . self-control is different: self-control is something we strive to do and live out but can only succeed with the Holy Spirit’s assistance and counsel. It starts with us. As we make strides, the Holy Spirit speaks to us to help us improve or tweak our self-control, but we have to take the first steps. After all, it’s called “SELF-control,” not “SPIRIT-controlled”!

Come join us for our Summer Studies at the Ridge!