Lent - Day 1 - The Fruit of the Spirit

Dear Christian educators,

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten season. You can "give up" something or you can be an intentional blessing to others or do both. One way to bless others is to walk the Fruit of the Spirit and pray our way through the Bible. When you pray the Bible, you know you are in God's will. 

Each day during this season of Lent, I will post one verse and pray it with you. Consider saying the verse in your quiet time and praying it also. You may use the same prayer or try your own. Each day until Easter (except Sundays) there will be a new post that contains:

• A Scripture based on the Fruit of the Spirit.
• A small reflection of how we can relate it to the school community.
• A prayer of the Scripture 
• An image of the Scripture (Feel free to share - I took the pictures of His handiwork.)

Day 1 

Galatians 5:22-23 English Standard Version (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Did you know you can hang a poster in your classroom with the Fruit of the Spirit? Just use the words as an encouragement, not the actual verse. Don't you love that we are reassured in the verse itself that against such things there is no law. What school wouldn't want teachers and students that display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? 

Compass, a ministry of Grace Church in MN has excellent resources for Christian educators including a poster of the Fruit of the Spirit for younger students. You can search for other examples of posters like the one I found from Society 6. More importantly, is how we walk our walk with the children and our colleagues displaying the Fruit in our lives. It's not easy, but all things are possible with God.

Dear Lord,

Please bless the students through us. We know that we are ambassadors for You and when we let You live through us the Fruit of the Spirit is natural. Let love, joy and peace exude from us this Lenten season. Please help us to be purposeful about our walk by being good, kind and gentle to those we encounter on our campuses each day. We thank You Father for Your incredible patience with us. Will You give us a double portion of patience today. Oh Lord, self-control is really an oxymoron for us. Will you take control that we may be like You. Finally, we want to thank You for Your faithfulness to us each day and for Your steadfast love. Help us to be faithful to our school community, our students, colleagues and parents. We love You and look to You for the ability to display Your Fruit legally and gracefully today. The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law. Thank you for that Lord!

We ask in the beautiful Name of Jesus,
Amen.

Prayerfully yours,

K 

Karen C. Seddon

CEAI - Christian Educators Assoc. Int.

State Director for Florida

kseddon@ceai.org

407.892.5651

....an unqualified recipient of His unconditional love

www.ceai.org

CIPE website

2 Timothy 3:16 -17- All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school.