by Sylvia Boyes, of Keighley Quaker Meeting

WE are assured that the fruits of the spirit include love, peace and joy.

It is for each of us to know whether or not we have found this to be true – are they the result of spiritual wellbeing within us?

In a world and its people so divided, love, peace and joy are certainly needed.

There are calls for Christian unity from church leaders but we all know how important it is to belong to a close, mutually supportive community, the one in which we feel most at home.

As Quakers we are asked, "do you work gladly with other religious groups in the pursuit of common goals?" While remaining faithfully to Quaker insights, try to enter imaginatively into the life and witness of other communities of faith, creating together the bonds of friendship.

Have we the vision of a society where love, peace and joy can thrive? As Christians, we pray thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

The challenge to us both as individuals and within our communities is how to find that divine will which will then lead us to go out into the world doing good with love, peace and joy.