The Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25

Have there been times in your life when you wish you’d had more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? There are many times in my life when I wish I’d exuded these virtues.

How does one define the fruit of the spirit? Dictionary.com describes fruit as anything produced or accruing; product, result, or effect; return or profit:{such as} the fruits of one’s labors. Spirit is defined as the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.

What does God want us to accomplish with the fruit of the spirit?
1. He wants to supplements His love in us
2. He wants us to love our neighbor
3. He wants us to bear the fruit to others
4. He wants us to use these gifts as a witness for Him
5. He wants us to use the fruits to encourage others
6. Our actions and reactions with these virtues show what we truly believe
7. He uses these fruits to help us grow as beings, as well as in Him
8. He wants us to use our experiences to help others grow
9. He wants us to demonstrate these fruits to everyone
10. He uses these attributes to draw us closer to Him


The fruits of the Spirit give us our moral center. If we don’t nurture and nourish the fruits of the Spirit they will wither, rot and die away. In the process our souls end up doing the same.

At the first of each week we will look more in-depth at each of these virtues that make up the fruit of the spirit. Which aspect is your strong point? Which aspect do you need to work on?

 

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