A Lifestyle Of Giving

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Tanya James

“Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

“…whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7b

When I read those two scriptures, I get very excited about giving. I mean uncontainable excitement and guess what, I am not even thinking about financial giving. It seems sometimes we get stuck there – believing the only way we can give is with money. This means if we don’t have any money, we may feel that we have nothing to give.

However, there are so many other ways to give. Matter of fact, giving should be a part of your lifestyle. It should be something that you do so freely and regularly that it’s just a natural part of who you are.

So you ask, "How can I give something other than money?"

You can give of your time by serving in a ministry within the 4 walls of your church or even volunteering with an organization in your community. Going even further than that, make sure you are giving your time to your family. Don’t always give the best of you to everyone else and only give your family your leftovers.

You can give of your heart and compassion to those that may simply need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on or someone to pray with them. Sometimes giving of your heart may be sharing an encouraging word or even a simple hug or hello to a stranger.

Of course, you can also give of your money – in addition to your regular tithes and offering – you can give to some of the special projects your church may be working on. You can give to that youth trying to save money to go study abroad. You can give to that family down the street that may be struggling due to someone being laid off. You can give to your local homeless shelter or children’s hospital …

Needless to say, daily we are presented with opportunities to give – lets all make an effort to give something of ourselves daily until it becomes a lifestyle. I guarantee you will find out what it means to be blessed to be a blessing!

Fruits or Fruit

Tanya James


“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 5:22

For many years whenever I talked about this scripture, I would say the fruits (plural) of the spirit instead of the fruit of the spirit. I’m not sure if I just did not know what the correct words were or if I self consciously made it plural so that I could pick and choose which fruits to strive for.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that sometimes fails to be loving to EVERYONE I come in contact with … or what about that self control fruit … that one can be applied to so many areas of our lives. If I am really honest, I can clearly recall times when I have even made a statement similar to, “I may not have been faithful in completing my assignment but I was very kind.” Yes, I admit that I have been guilty of justifying my disobedience.

Guess what … I can try to justify it but it doesn’t really work that way … fruit being singular instead of plural is not a typo. What it tells me is that all nine of those things work together as one. We aren’t dealing with a smorgasbord. We don’t get to wake up each morning and pick one or two to walk in for that day. We must strive to apply all nine to our lives at all times.

I will be the first to admit that it is not always an easy task … for me, the fruit of the spirit have flown out the window in Atlanta traffic many of days … and let’s not mention when that boss in corporate America seems to know every button to push. Or what happens when that customer service representative just won’t listen and keeps cutting you off. However, just like every other mandate in the Word of God – it requires discipline and a daily (or hourly) dying to self.

Is walking in the spirit an easy task? Not always but it’s a mandatory one …

And if you have any questions about how you are doing in this area … back up in Galatians just a few scriptures and read about the works of the flesh, which are the complete opposite of the fruit of the spirit and let that be your checkpoint.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornications, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5: 19-21

A Blossom That Eternally Blooms

Pastor Paula White


A good way to determine how steadfast your faith in Christ is, and how completely you have given your life over to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, is to consider the joyous message we are given in Galatians 5:22 – 25:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 – 25

These verses offer an awesome, inspiring, and deeply comforting revelation of how the Christian believer’s life, spirit, and actions should transform and manifest when truly “spirit-filled” and “delivered.” I can find no better description in the Bible of what a believer experiences, shares and expresses, when listening to, acting out of, and sharing the Spirit of God.

In other words: our lives should “bloom” with the fruit – the “blossom” -- or living proof, of the Holy Spirit within us! And people should be able to see our fruit – in our actions, our words, our lives…as clearly as we might see a juicy, ripe orange hanging from a branch as we pass by…or smell the delicious fragrance of beautiful tulip in spring.

In the verses from Galatians, the words “love,” “joy,” “peace,” “gentleness,” and “goodness,” immediately fill us with a gratitude to the Creator for His deep and abiding devotion to us. He is GOOD…and His Spirit fills us with His goodness, wraps us in His love, comforts us with His peace, and calms us with His gentleness – and define what true, lasting, and eternally accessible “joy of the Lord” is made up of.

“Longsuffering,” “meekness,” “faith” and “temperance,” are words that describe the characteristics we should display to the world as mature, Spirit-filled Christian believers. Hard won, steadily nurtured, carefully tended virtues – these are the sometimes painfully cultivated fruits of a harvest that the Spirit reveals through our patient, passionate, and persistent commitment to getting the best of what God has to offer!

There is another vital reason for nurturing the Holy Spirit within: it is only through the guidance of that “small, still voice” that we will be able to reap the sustenance of God’s grace, power, strength and fortitude during the darkest and most difficult seasons of our lives. His fruits within us are nourishing, empowering, and life-transforming characteristics that will show the world God’s omnipotence – as in our weakness, but through His strength, even while shaken, we stand…when everything around us tumbles.

So seek to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit that God reveals in Galatians…and in every season of life, you will be a walking testimony of God’s glory on our earth today – truly “a blossom in eternal bloom!”