By Pastor Tim McGonagle
Fruit of the Spirit
Reprinted from the Scott County Record

How many years in school do we spend getting ready to be a good productive citizen? Most of us spend 13 years in K-12th grade.

Some people go to tech schools and college and may spend an additional 1-10 years getting ready to be a good productive citizen. Some may go to the military and spend years learning a skill and serving our country.

Once you get that job, you will spend how much time studying on the job, to be successful?

How much time do you spend on your hobbies or other after-work activities? How much time do you spend each week with your family? How much time do you spend with your spouse?

How much time do you spend with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each week? Maybe one hour?

The average man in the United States will live to be 77 years old. The average woman will live to be 79 years old.

We spend years getting ready to work a job that we will do for maybe 40-50 years. Yet we may spend only an hour a week or less with Father, Son and Holy Spirit and our souls will live for eternity.

If you only spent one hour a week with your kids, how would that turn out? (Many men today impregnate women and never spend any time with her or the child ever again. Prisons are filled with people raised like that, with no father.)

If our local high school football team practiced one hour a week, during the season, would we win any games?

Let me encourage you, during this time of Lent, to spend at least five minutes a day, reading your Bible. Seriously, no Bible, no breakfast. No Bible, no supper. No Bible, no bed. Be disciplined!

Read one chapter a day. Start in Proverbs, for you will find yourself in the Bible. After you finish Proverbs, go to Matthew and read the New Testament.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14. Look it up.