Galatians 5:22-23
22But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
When I read these verses this morning, I felt prompted by the Spirit to write about them. I felt led to go through each fruit and ask myself am I living like this fruit? The world seems like it is in turmoil. We as Christians need to live out these fruits more than ever before to a hurting world.
Love
This kind of love here is unconditional love. I am sure God had Paul put this fruit first. What the world needs more than anything is for us Christians to show God’s love to others. Even the ones who seems so unlovable. After all, Jesus came to earth to suffer a horrible death because God loves even the ones who hate Him. So, am I showing unconditional love to those I do not like or have hurt me?
Joy
Joy has always been a difficult fruit for me. I have had so many things and people who have hurt me in my past. Often, I could not feel joy from these hurts. When I moved from Rhinelander to the Wausau area it seemed like a heavy weight of gloom was lifted. It was a new beginning in my life. I got to start all over. I found the fruit of joy again. Yes, I still suffered illness and chronic pain, but I still found joy in my suffering. Am I showing my fruit of joy to this world?
Peace
There is so much turmoil in this world today. Wars and rumors of wars. Politics and social issues bring fighting on both sides. Even among Christians there are differences of opinions which can bring strife. What the world needs is peace. Not just wars and strife stopping but the inner peace of letting go and letting God have control. We cannot do anything about what others are saying or doing to each other, but we can give these worries to God. Today I had to give something to God which was out of my control. God gave me an inner peace about it. Yet sometimes I fret about things. Am I showing my worries to the world or am I showing God’s peace?
Patience
Awhile ago I adopted a new cat when my old cat died. After a week or two I asked God why He have me adopt a cat who was constantly in hiding. It was to teach me patience. Little by little my cat came out of hiding and got less afraid of me. He now will not leave me alone most of the time. He loves to be petted but he has not allowed us to cuddle yet. I have learned to be patient with my cat growing comfortable with me but am I patient with people?
Kindness
Some say I am too kind, but am I? Am I kind to those who I do not like or who have hurt me? What is my motive to being kind? Is it so others will like me or am I being the kind of kind because of Jesus? I need to work on the fruit of kindness in my life.
Goodness
What is good? Jesus asked this question and said only God is good. Therefore, if only God is good then I cannot be good in my own strength. I need to rely on God to help me be good to others and how I behave. To be the fruit of goodness I need to follow God’s laws, so I do not hurt God or others. I need to ask God to help live the fruit of goodness.
Faithfulness
Being faithful to God and others takes work. I believe another way to look at faithfulness is being loyal. Am I being loyal to God in how I live? Am I being loyal to others or am I talking bad about someone behind their back? What about my job? Am I loyal to the place that gives me a paycheck by being faithful to always doing my job well? It is not easy to be faithful, but God does help me practice the fruit of faithfulness.
Gentleness
Most of the time I am gentle with others. Gentleness is the opposite of being harsh. It is easy to be gentle with a baby or a kitten, but what about someone who is yelling at you for something you have no control over? This often happens at work when customers are impatient. Being empathic and gentle goes a long way over yelling back. Sometimes I need to practice the fruit of gentleness in a better way.
Self-control
I think God had Paul save this one for last because God knew this is a hard one for people. Having self-control has been hard for me. For instance, when I am tired and hungry after work it is sometimes easier to stop at a fast-food place rather than going home and cooking something. I must remind myself going home is the healthier choice and better for my wallet. Using self-control in what I say is even harder for me. Only God can help me with the fruit of self-control.
Conclusion
I have read this passage of scripture many times. I never really have sat down and broken the fruits down like this before. I learned today living like these fruits is difficult. Yet I know God will help me. Are you living like these fruits?
Here is a couple of books on the fruits of the Spirit found at Christianbook.com Home. I am an affiliate for Christianbook. By clicking on a link and making a purchase I may earn a small percentage of your purchase at no extra cost to you. This helps support this website. Thank you for your support.
| The Fruitful Life: The Overflow of God’s Love Through You By Jerry Bridges In this update to The Practice of Godliness, best-selling author Jerry Bridges explores nine aspects of the “fruit of the Spirit” as described in Galatians 5:22-23. Demonstrating the need for prayerful preparation and careful cultivation, Bridges shows you how to produce an abundant crop where it counts the most – in everyday life! |
| Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit: Growing in Christlikeness By Christopher J.H. Wright How are Christians called to live their lives? While there are some Christians who stress the importance of upholding all the rules in order to prove they truly are Christians, there are others who reject the idea of rules or traditions entirely, viewing the point of Christian faith as setting them free from the institutionalized religious burden.The Apostle Paul addresses both of these views by demonstrating a far better and truly Christian way to live our lives—the way of the Spirit of God given to us through Christ. At the heart and soul of Christian living is to “Walk by the Spirit . . . led by the Spirit . . . live by the Spirit . . . keep in step with the Spirit.” In Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit, pastor and scholar Christopher Wright invites readers to live a life in step with the Spirit by cultivating the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Divided into nine chapters, each addressing and surveying the depths and breadth of biblical background to each of the words Paul mentions in his fruit of the Spirit, and including questions for contemplation or discussion, Wright’s book forwards an ideal resource for group studies and pastors alike. |
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