Galatians 5:13-26
Verse 22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Yesterday we talked about the weeds which are the “fruit” of the sinful nature, a list which may come easier to us than we would like to admit. But today’s key verses bring us to a new list, a grouping of traits which will be evident in our lives if we are allowing the Spirit of God to transform us. So if these are His fruit in us, how can we cultivate them?
This simple answer is to cultivate our relationship with God. It is about putting away the old things which keep us in the weed category, digging them up and casting them in the burn pile. We can’t just pluck them out and leave the weeds where they can take root again. When we have allowed the Spirit to dig up the weeds of sin in our lives we give Him the freedom to plant the Fruit He wants in our lives.
When we put away the sinful desires in our lives we start to notice these beautiful Fruit beginning to grow. There will be a joy which begins to bubble up inside us we can’t explain. A love will start to form towards people we never thought we could love and the love we feel towards those close to us will take on a different attitude as we start to see them as Jesus does. We will then start to notice a peace coming into our hearts we didn’t think possible, a peace only He can give.
Along with those sweet fruit will come the forbearance needed to deal with others who are harder to love. That forbearance will be revealed in the kindness the Spirit will cultivate in our hearts which will be followed by a goodness that reflects God Himself. Then His faithfulness will become clearer to us and we will begin to see our need to be faithful to Him and to others.
Before long we will notice a gentleness stirring in our lives. This isn’t a sign of weakening of character but proof we have His strength in us. And that strength will reveal itself in the way He teaches us to control our actions. We will no longer be controlled by the weeds of our sinful habits but in the power of the Spirit we will be able to control our thoughts and actions. And when we are living in self-control we will find we are enjoying our relationships more, including our relationship with the Lord.
Making It Personal
Which of these fruit do you feel like you need to pray for help in? Why do you think that fruit doesn’t come as easy as some of the others? What part of the fruit do you enjoy in your life?
Making It Personal Kids
Are the things on this list easy to do? Why not? Have you asked Jesus to help you with them?
Closing Prayer
Father, we want to bear the fruit of Your Spirit. Please grow each of these qualities in our hearts and lives. May we shine for You and bring You glory in all we do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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