St Andrews AMEC Palmetto

09/05/2026

Saturday — Check the Fruit

Scripture: John 13:34–35

Pastor Linda here: Tomorrow we’re coming to church to talk about the first fruit. Before we get there, Jesus gives us something to think about.

Jesus didn’t say people would recognize his disciples because they knew all the hymns, held church offices, quoted Scripture, or had been members for fifty years.

He said they would recognize us by our love.

So before tomorrow morning, check the fruit.

Not your neighbor’s tree.
Not your children’s tree.
Not the pastor’s tree.

Yours.

Consider: Where can somebody actually see the love of Christ because I am present?

Prayer: Lord, let your love become visible through me. Let something be growing. Let something be glowing. Let something be showing. Amen.

09/04/2026

Sister Brenda McDaniel shared this post:

09/04/2026

Friday — When Love Gets Difficult

Scripture: Matthew 5:43–48

Pastor Linda here: It’s easy to talk about love when nobody is irritating you.

Jesus takes love beyond the people who treat us well. That’s where discipleship gets uncomfortable.

The difficult person reveals something—not merely about themselves, but about us. Irritation can expose impatience. Conflict can uncover pride. Injury can reveal what still needs healing.

That doesn’t excuse anybody’s bad behavior. It does mean I have to pay attention to mine.

Consider: Who or what situation most consistently pulls me away from the person God is calling me to become?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, when love becomes difficult, govern my words, my reactions, and my choices. Amen.

09/03/2026

Thursday — Love Includes You

Scripture: Mark 12:30–31

Pastor Linda here: Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Some of us have spent years hearing the neighbor part and ignoring the yourself part.

Love does not require you to disappear.

You can love somebody and say no. You can forgive and establish a boundary. You can care about somebody and refuse to let their chaos become your permanent address.

Healthy love doesn’t require one person to be destroyed so another person can remain comfortable.

Consider: Where might I be confusing love with unlimited access?

Prayer: God, teach me a love that honors both my neighbor’s humanity and my own. Give me wisdom for the boundaries love sometimes requires. Amen.

09/02/2026

Wednesday — Love Is More Than Liking

Scripture: Romans 12:9–10

Pastor Linda here: We already settled this: I don’t have to like you to love you.

Paul says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.” Biblical love isn’t pretending difficult people aren’t difficult. It isn’t smiling while resentment eats us alive.

Love tells the truth. Love respects human dignity. Love refuses unnecessary harm. And sometimes love keeps appropriate distance.

The question isn’t whether everybody is likable. The question is whether my response to them reflects Christ.

Consider: What happens to my Christian character when I am dealing with someone I don’t particularly like?

Prayer: Jesus, teach me to love honestly—not performatively, resentfully, or foolishly. Amen.

09/01/2026

Tuesday — Love Comes First

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1–3

Pastor Linda here: You can be gifted and still be mean.

Paul doesn’t leave us much room to hide. We can speak beautifully, understand deep things, exercise tremendous faith, give generously—and still miss the point.

Without love, Paul says, all that impressive Christian activity amounts to nothing.

Maybe that’s why love comes first in the fruit of the Spirit. Before God is concerned about how impressive we are, God is concerned about how we love.

Consider: Is there any place where I have substituted Christian activity for Christian love?

Prayer: God, don’t let what I do for you become a substitute for becoming more like you. Teach me to love. Amen.

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

Testimony & Love Feast
Aug 30, 2026

08/29/2026

Saturday with Pastor Linda — Tend Your Own Fruit
Read Galatians 5:24–26
Some things need cultivating; other things need killing. Paul tells us to crucify the flesh, keep in step with Holy Spirit, and stop provoking and envying one another. Comparison can have us so busy inspecting somebody else’s fruit that we neglect our own garden. God did not give us identical gifts, graces, assignments, or seasons. Somebody else’s flourishing does not diminish ours. Freedom is the condition. Holy Spirit is the cultivator. Transformation is the process. Fruit is the evidence.
One question: What do I need to stop inspecting in somebody else so I can attend to what Holy Spirit is cultivating in me?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, keep me focused on the life you have entrusted to me. Help me crucify what needs to die, cultivate what needs to grow, and follow your guidance into the next season.