Linda’s Reviews > The Fruit of the Spirit: The Measure of Christian Maturity > Status Update

So is that the problem faced by Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day? “The person who does not have self-control is a vulnerable person.  Their life is like a city that has been broken into, invaded by enemies, and left without walls of protection.”

Like Alexander the Great, conquering all world (except himself). “The one who is able to rule his own spirit is better than the one who has the power to conquer a city.”

Or if he saw someone come back from the dead? He had Moses and the prophets - like the rich man trying to commandeer Lazarus’ services after death. “The German atheist philosopher Nietzsche once said that if he saw more redeemed people, he might be more inclined to believe in their Redeemer.”

A welcome thought. “But gentleness is also opposed to turning a blind eye to the problem.  There are some cases where a failure to be angry is a failure to respond in the right way.  In other words, there are some cases where the failure to be rightly angry is a failure of courage to do the right thing.”

Haha I love the DOORMATS acronym explanation. “If you think of gentleness as a sort of mild-mannered powerlessness, then it is not something that most of us, especially men, would desire to strive for.”

The affirmation of God’s goodness and sovereignty sound a little like the Kenya refrain: “God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good; that is His nature.”

“Kindness is an inner disposition which delights in cheerfully advancing the happiness of others and in meeting their needs, fulfilling their wishes, and removing their distresses. It is also an outward demonstration in real actions toward the end of benefitting another.”

A knowledge of Greek words can be useful! “There is a practical component of being useful in the lives of others in acts of kindness.  Isn’t that interesting?  It represents a gentle, caring disposition which we should have towards meeting the needs of others.”

Also true, in home and workplace! “The fruit of the Spirit which is kindness does not naturally occur in human hearts.  It has to be supernaturally implanted there and brought to life by God the Spirit.”

“The people of the western world owe much and most of the cultural kindness and care for the helpless that we experience to the influence of Christianity.” #truth