Cheerfulness—being
full of good feelings
“A
cheerful look brings joy to the heart” ~ Proverbs 15:30
“A
cheerful heart is good medicine” ~ Proverbs 17:22
“God
love a cheerful giver” ~ 2 Cor. 9:7
Application:
Job’s
cheerful looks brought joy. (See Job 29:24)
Compassion—desire
to relieve another’s suffering
“Administer
true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” ~ Zech. 7:9
“Therefore,
as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” ~
Col. 3:12
Application:
In
the parable of the Good Samaritan, a stranger showed compassion for
another. (See Luke 10:30-37)
Consideration—mindful
of the needs and feelings of others
“Be
peaceable and considerate” ~ Titus 3:2
Application:
The
Israelites were instructed to be considerate of others’ property.
(See Deut. 22:1-4) Joseph showed consideration for Mary by deciding
to divorce her quietly. (See Matt. 1:19)
Contentment—uncomplaining
acceptance of one’s life
“But
godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into
the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and
clothing, we will be content with that” ~ 1 Tim. 6:6-8
“Keep
your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you
have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you’ “~ Heb. 13:5
Application:
Paul
was content, no matter the circumstances. (See Phil. 4:11)
Courage—bold;
fearless in the face of threat
“Be
strong and courageous” ~ Joshua 1:6
“Be
on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong”
~ 1 Cor.16:13 (See also Eph. 6:10-18)
Application:
Peter
and John showed great courage when they spoke about Jesus before the
Sanhedrin. (See Acts 4:1-21, esp. v 13)
Faithfulness—living
by faith, or belief
“Fight
the good fight of the faith” ~ 1 Tim. 6:12a
“Be
on your guard; stand firm in the faith” ~ 1 Cor. 16:13a
Application:
“By
faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receiveas
his inheritance, obeyed and went” ~ Heb. 11:8. (See Hebrews 11 for
a list of faithful people.)
Forgiveness—the
act of pardoning
“For
if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you” ~ Matt. 6:14
“Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you” ~ Eph. 4:32 See also Matt. 18:21-22.
Application:
Joseph
forgave his brothers. (See Gen. 45:8-15) Stephen forgave, and asked
God to forgive, the men who stoned him. (See Acts 7:59-60)
Gentleness—showing
kindness and tenderness
“Let
your gentleness be evident to all” ~ Phil. 4:5
“Clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience” ~ Col. 3:12b
Application:
Paul
was gentle with the Thessalonians. (See 1 Thess. 2:6-7)
Godliness—holy
living
“Godliness
has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life
and the life to come” ~ 1 Tim. 4:8b
“For
the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It
teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and world passions, and to
live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”
~ Titus 2:11-12
“But
just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” ~ 1
Peter 1:15
Application:
Peter
and Paul evidenced godly lives through their writings.
Goodness—state
of being good, not evil
“Turn
from evil and do good” ~ Psalm 34:14
“But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” ~ Gal. 5:22-23a
“Live
such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of
doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day
He visits us” ~ 1 Peter 2:12 (See also 2 Peter 1:3-11)
Application:
Peter
and Paul dealt with goodness in their writings.
Honesty—truthfulness
“Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him
who is the Head, that is, Christ” ~ Eph. 4:15
“Therefore,
each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully” ~ Eph.
4:25a
Application:
The men supervising the rebuilding of the temple acted in complete
honesty. (See 2 Kings 12:15)
Hope—reliance
on God’s blessing; expectation of future good
“But
those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar
on wingslike eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk
and not be faint” ~ Isa.40:31
“Now
faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not
see” ~Heb. 11:1
(See
also Romans 8:18-27; 1 Peter 3:15-16)
Application:
Peter
encouraged the early Christians to hope in God despite theirsuffering
(1 Peter).
Humility—modesty;
meekness
“He
has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require
of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God” ~ Micah 6:8
“For
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself
will be exalted” ~ Matt. 23:12
“Clothe
yourselves with humility” ~ 1 Peter 5:5
Application:
Daniel
was very humble, giving honor where it belonged—to God. (See Daniel
2:30) Elizabeth was humble before Mary. (See Luke 1:43.)
Joy—gladness
of heart
“The
joy of the LORD is your strength” ~ Neh. 8:10b
“But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” ~ Gal. 5:22-23a
Application:
Mary’s
joy at the coming birth of Jesus is expressed in song in Luke
1:46-55.
Kindness—state
of being kind, considerate
“Clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience” ~ Col. 3:12b
“Be
kind and compassionate to one another” ~ Eph. 4:32a
Application:
David
showed kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake in 2 Sam.9:1-7
Love
for others—unselfish,
benevolent concern
“Love
your neighbor as yourself” ~ Matt. 22:39
“Dear
friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone
who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, because God is love.” ~ 1 John 4:7-8 (See also
John 13:34; 1 Cor. 13)
Application:
“Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”
~ John 15:13. Jesus did this for us.
Love
for God—gratitude,
worship, devotion
“Love
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength” ~ Deut. 6:5 (See also Matt. 22:37-38)
Application:
Love
for God is manifested in the lives of men and women throughout the
Bible.
Mercy—compassion,
showing charity
“Blessed
are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” ~ Matt. 5:7
“Be
merciful, just as your Father is merciful” ~ Luke 6:36 (See also
Micah 6:8)
Application:
David
showed mercy by sparing Saul’s life. (1 Sam. 24:10-17)
Obedience—submitting
to authority
“It
is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep
his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him” ~ Deut.
13:4
“If
you love me, you will obey what I command” ~ John 14:15
“Children,
obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” ~ Eph. 6:1
Application:
Noah
obeyed God and built the ark. (Gen. 6. 2) Paul commended the
Philippians for their obedience. (Phil. 2:12-13)
Patience—ability
to bear trials without grumbling
“Be
patient, bearing with one another in love” ~ Eph. 4:2b
“Love
is patient, love is kind” ~ 1 Cor. 13:4a
Application:
David
wrote, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard
my cry” ~ Psalm 40:1
Peace—experience
of right relationship; inner contentment
“Great
peace have they who love your law” ~ Psalm 119:165
“Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ” ~ Romans 5:1
“Seek
peace and pursue it” ~ 1 Peter 3:11b (See also Gal. 5:22)
Application:
Christ
breaks down the barrier between believing Jews and Gentiles ~ Eph.
2:14
Prayerfulness—praying
frequently
“Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” ~ Phil.
4:6
“Pray
continually” ~ 1 Thess. 5:17 See also Mark 11:22-25; James 5:13-16.
Application:
Elijah
prayed and God answered ~ James 5:17-18.
Purity—lack
of contamination or evil
“How
can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word”
~ Ps.119:9
“For
God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” ~ 1
Thess. 4:7 (See also Phil. 4:8)
Application:
In
1 Tim. 5:1-2, Paul gives advice on treating others with purity.
Self-control—restrain
or discipline one’s behavior
“But
since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on
faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a
helmet” ~ 1 Thess. 5:8
“For
the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It
teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”
~ Titus 2:11-12
Application:
Self-control
is one of the requirements for an elder ~ Titus 1:8.
Trust
in God—putting
one’s confidence in God; believing
“Do
not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” ~
John 14:1
“Trust
in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” ~ Prov.
3:5-6
Application:
Abraham
trusted in God ~ James 2:23.
Wisdom—knowledge
guided by understanding
“The
fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom” ~ Prov. 15:33a
“But
the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere” ~ James3:17.
Application:
Solomon
asked God for wisdom ~ 1 Kings 3:4-15.
What
would Jesus do? Imitating Christ…
“Let
us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”
~ Heb. 12:2-3
“As
obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when
you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be
holy in all you do” ~ 1 Peter 1:14-15 (See also Romans 8:29)
Application:
Paul
was an imitator of Christ and encouraged others to follow his
example.
“Finally,
brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever
is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about
such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me,
or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be
with you.” ~ Phil.4:8-9