10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalm 85:10

All four of these attributes are related. Recall the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

They all fit well together, like the black and white keys on a keyboard, or the intricate harmonies of a finely-tuned barbershop quartet. When one of the attributes is lacking or is missing, the end “product” suffers.

As Believers we should be exhibiting this fruit throughout our lives. Some of the attributes will be stronger than others, but if one is lacking completely, there is a problem. While self-examination is important, it’s probably a better idea to ask someone you trust to point out gaps based on this list. You will probably be shocked how others see you versus how you see yourself.

The few times I’ve done this exercise, the word “your harshness” came out as something I should be working on. I’m still a bit gruff around the edges. I suppose it fits into the kindness and gentleness attributes, so I’m working on it. I only needed to ask because I couldn’t see it myself. And this was from two separate people at two different times, so there must have been something to it.