The next aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is “gentleness” (Galatians 5:23). This is defined as being “mild, kind,” or “not being rough, violent, harsh, or severe.” Some people may be born with a natural gentle demeanor, but the fruit of the Spirit that is gentleness is to conduct yourself with sensitivity and consideration for others.

The world’s problems are getting bigger, more complicated, and increasingly beyond man’s ability to solve. The end of this age will be marked by cascading problems that have surpassed any human ability to deal with them. This is the ultimate fruit of man trying to live without God. Not only man, but the whole creation will forever be able to look back on the history of the earth and see what the results are when trying to live without God. In the midst of this, there will be a testimony of what it is like to live with God.

Our perspective of the kingdom must be based on knowing the King. As I have contended that much of the biblical teachings on righteousness deal with stewardship, which is management, there is a sure biblical witness that the Lord cares deeply about this. It was this issue in the Parable of the Talents that determined which servants heard "Well done," and which heard "You wicked, lazy slave!" (see Matthew 25:21-26 NIV) That is how important being a good steward is.

The most basic principle that we must understand about the kingdom is that Jesus is the King of the coming kingdom. That may sound ridiculously obvious, but it has been easily forgotten by those who sought to prepare the way for His kingdom throughout history. Actually, many of the greatest mistakes made by Christians throughout the church age were made by overlooking this most basic truth. Of course, we know it in our minds, but it is not believing in our minds that results in righteousness, rather it is believing in our hearts (see Romans 10:10).

We have been briefly discussing how the seedbed of the fruit of the Spirit is New Testament church life. Of course, another main seedbed of this fruit is family life. This is why both of these, church life and family life, are under such an assault in our times. However, it is during these times that the greatest church life and the greatest families will emerge.

Yesterday, Reggie White passed away at his home near Mooresville, North Carolina. He was 43. He is survived by his wife, Sara, his son, Jeremy, and his daughter, Jecolia.

Reggie was one of the biggest men I ever knew, in body, soul, and spirit. In almost every way that greatness can be measured, Reggie was one of the greatest men I have ever known. To say that he will be missed just does not capture the void that his passing makes.

          A disciple lives to learn from their master and to become like them. This is our ultimate life purpose as Christians—to learn from the Master every day, to become like Him, and to do the works that He did.

          Last week I wrote that I would share the two things we must do to have the Lord pay off the entire world’s debt. The first is to simply turn to Him in repentance for thinking we did not need Him, asking Him to help us. The second is to let Him help us. It is that simple.

      Last week we discussed a basic characteristic of high-impact people—they discern the times, the present situation, their audience, and their message is relevant to all three. To do this, we must also be good listeners, but as Jesus once warned, we must be careful “how we listen.”

      This could be the best year of our lives. It will also likely be the most challenging. It’s not either/or, but both. Many ultimate issues will be determined this year. They can be determined in a way that gets us back on the path of greater peace, stability, and prosperity. They could also be determined in a way that leads to the worst economic and political meltdown in history.