Notes of Faith January 6, 2026

Notes of Faith January 6, 2026

Pastor’s Pen Pulpit

Series - “Fruit of the Spirit”

February 20, 2000

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22, 23

“For the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, - peace, long suffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law.”

LONG SUFFERING

Long Suffering - Putting up with a person or situation for a long time.

God is a long suffering God.

• Toward sinners - II Peter 3:8, I Timothy 1:16

• Toward believers - Psalm 86:15

God is long suffering, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

We are to be imitators of God our Father - long suffering with our non believing world, to one another, as well as to situations we find ourselves in.

KINDNESS

Another virtue of our Heavenly Father is kindness. Believers are to be characterized by kindness. God’s people are never to be unkind to anyone. In Ephesians 4:32 we read that God expects us to be kind -

Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

See also I Cor. 13:4, II Tim. 2:24, Prov. 31:26 and Col. 3:12.

These past several months Eva and I have had a wonderful chance to practice long suffering and you, dear folk, have shown abundant kindness to us for which we can’t begin to thank you enough. God bless.

Love to you all,

Charles Covington

Long suffering or patience is a fruit that is difficult or least pleasant to grow to maturity. In doing so there must be testing that proves the growth of the fruit. How many of you like to be in any situation or circumstance in which you must be patient? All fruit of the Spirit is the nature and character of God. By original design, we are created to be like God (when we were without sin) and produce this luscious fruit. I pray that as God allows testing in your life that you recognize “God’s goodness” toward you in making you into the image of His Son Jesus through these tests. May we enjoy being conformed into the image of our Lord and Savior and look forward to the day we see Him face to face!

Pastor Dale