Back to School 
Pause
Summer began, and we were blessed to just let go and relax. As summer ends, we have to prepare for what is ahead, and that includes getting our backpacks in order.
As you prepare for school, or as adults prepare to get back into the regular schedule, the way we prepare and what we put into our backpacks prepares us for what we will face.
As you make your way through this day, take time now to make sure you have what you need to live out your calling.
Listen
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
Galatians 5:22-23
Think
For many, Christmas morning is an annual highlight. Everyone gets excited about giving and receiving gifts that express love and care. Feelings move beyond happiness to express the joy that comes in celebrating the birth of Jesus.
After the commotion of gift giving, there is a time of sharing through play or use of the gifts that have been given. Peace comes. Much like the feeling of having eaten a wonderful meal, there is a sense of satisfaction that makes it seem all is right with the world.
Two of the fruits of the Spirit are Joy and Peace. Though Paul might not have been connecting these with Christmas, that feeling of Christmas is, he says, what we can have when we live in a way that shares Christ’s Joy and seeks to spread Peace. It’s not just a seasonal thing; it is what we strive to share every day.
Tim Tate
Pray
God of joy, come into my heart today and set me on fire for you, then allow me the privilege of sharing the joy that brings peace to all I meet today. Amen.
Go
God has provided all that you need today.
Go with God’s provision, protection, and blessing.
Take what you have and share it,
Then look for God’s love at work
Within and around you.
