The Matins Prayer Network - MPN: Recent Episodes
Mark Williams
A Podcast to share our Daily Devotionals, News, Music and Prayer Line. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mark-williams15/support
What does the Bible say about unconditional love? God’s expression of His unconditional love is found throughout the Bible. Although we are commanded to repent our sins and strive towards the way of God, He never stops loving us in our journey to righteousness. The Bible shows us that God’s unconditional love never fails and not motivated by personal gain. Learn more from our list of Bible verses about God’s unconditional love below!
1 John 4:16 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:18 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
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The greatest love makes sure that God does everything in such a way as to uphold and magnify his own supremacy so that, when we get to heaven, we have something to increase our joy forever: God’s glory. The greatest love is God’s giving himself to us for our eternal enjoyment, at the cost of his Son’s life (Romans 8:32).
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In Galatians 5:22-23, love is translated from the Greek word ἀγάπη, (agape). Greek has multiple words for love including eros, which is sexual love and philos, which is brotherly love. Agape’ is perfect love that only God can give.
“In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant ‘love’ and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential ‘love’ in them towards the Giver, and a practical 'love’ towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver,” according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary.
Love for God and others is the result of receiving God’s perfect agape’ love. Jesus encouraged his followers:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9-11).
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The Greek word καρπός that we translate “fruit” usually means fruit in the sense of edible fruits and vegetables, but it can also be translated as offspring, deed, action, result, or profit. In an agrarian society, fruit is a good thing; it is the result of hard work and careful tending. Today we might use the word “fruit” in a phrase such as the “fruit of our labor” to communicate the results of our effort. Even if we don’t harvest strawberries or apples, we can have “fruit,” something to show for our work, in a paycheck, a finished project, or even a baby.
Understanding that “fruit” in this verse can mean “deed, action, or result” helps make this verse more personal. The result or the work of the Spirit in a believer’s life is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. the three verses prior, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul contrasted the acts of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like to the good fruit of the Spirit.
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Monday Night Music
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In Galatians 5:22-23, love is translated from the Greek word ἀγάπη, (agape). Greek has multiple words for love including eros, which is sexual love and philos, which is brotherly love. Agape’ is perfect love that only God can give.
“In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant ‘love’ and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential ‘love’ in them towards the Giver, and a practical 'love’ towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver,” according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary.
Love for God and others is the result of receiving God’s perfect agape’ love. Jesus encouraged his followers:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9-11).
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You may have heard about the fruit of the Spirit and wondered what it is and how it relates to being a Christian.
In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul lists nine specific behaviors – love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – that are the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life.
Where is the Phrase “Fruit of the Spirit” in the Bible? The phrase “fruit of the spirit” comes from Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
The Greek word καρπός that we translate “fruit” usually means fruit in the sense of edible fruits and vegetables, but it can also be translated as offspring, deed, action, result, or profit. In an agrarian society, fruit is a good thing; it is the result of hard work and careful tending. Today we might use the word “fruit” in a phrase such as the “fruit of our labor” to communicate the results of our effort. Even if we don’t harvest strawberries or apples, we can have “fruit,” something to show for our work, in a paycheck, a finished project, or even a baby.
Understanding that “fruit” in this verse can mean “deed, action, or result” helps make this verse more personal. The result or the work of the Spirit in a believer’s life is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.
In the three verses prior, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul contrasted the acts of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like to the good fruit of the Spirit.
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As virtues go, patience is a quiet one.
It’s often exhibited behind closed doors, not on a public stage: A father telling a third bedtime story to his son, a dancer waiting for her injury to heal. In public, it’s the impatient ones who grab all our attention: drivers honking in traffic, grumbling customers in slow-moving lines. We have epic movies exalting the virtues of courage and compassion, but a movie about patience might be a bit of a snoozer.
Having patience means being able to wait calmly in the face of frustration or adversity, so anywhere there is frustration or adversity—i.e., nearly everywhere—we have the opportunity to practice it.
Yet patience is essential to daily life—and might be key to a happy one. Having patience means being able to wait calmly in the face of frustration or adversity, so anywhere there is frustration or adversity—i.e., nearly everywhere—we have the opportunity to practice it. At home with our kids, at work with our colleagues, at the grocery store with half our city’s population, patience can make the difference between annoyance and equanimity, between worry and tranquility.
Religions and philosophers have long praised the virtue of patience; now researchers are starting to do so as well. Recent studies have found that, sure enough, good things really do come to those who wait. Some of these science-backed benefits are detailed below, along with three ways to cultivate more patience in your life.
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Patience people enjoy better mental health
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Patient people are better friends and neighbors
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Patience helps us achieve our goals
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Patience is linked to good health
It seems there are everyday ways to build patience as well. Here are some strategies suggested by emerging patience research.
- Reframe the situation. Feeling impatient is not just an automatic emotional response; it involves conscious thoughts and beliefs, too. If a colleague is late to a meeting, you can fume about their lack of respect, or see those extra 15 minutes as an opportunity to get some reading done. Patience is linked to self-control, and consciously trying to regulate our emotions can help us train our self-control muscles.
- Practice mindfulness. In one study, kids who did a six-month mindfulness program in school became less impulsive and more willing to wait for a reward. The GGSC’s Christine Carter also recommends mindfulness practice for parents: Taking a deep breath and noticing your feelings of anger or overwhelm (for example, when your kids start yet another argument right before bedtime) can help you respond with more patience.
- Practice gratitude. In another study, adults who were feeling grateful were also better at patiently delaying gratification. When given the choice between getting an immediate cash reward or waiting a year for a larger ($100) windfall, less grateful people caved in once the immediate payment offer climbed to $18. Grateful people, however, could hold out until the amount reached $30. If we’re thankful for what we have today, we’re not desperate for more stuff or better circumstances immediately.
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Why Read Galatians: This book offers a spiritual health check of what it means to to be saved by faith.
Who Wrote This Book: Paul, the Apostle
To Whom was it Written: The Christians in Galatia
When: Around 50 AD
Why was it Written: T denounce and correct false teachings that had infiltrated the churches Paul and Barnabas had earlier established.
What to look For: Galatians will take you back to basics-what the gospel is, how you receive it and how you can apply it in your daily life.
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Daily Devotionals, News, Weather, Prayer Lines.
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