If you’ve been in Sunday school at all, you’ve likely heard of the Fruit of the Spirit. That’s what we’re going to be discussing today in order to prepare ourselves for Monday’s post on the Gifts of the Spirit. I believe that in order to have the Gifts, you have to have the Fruit. The Fruit of the Spirit are not easy to live out daily, but it is possible. I’ve developed a method of sorts to help me accomplish this. I pray that it will help you as well. It takes discipline and prayer. Lots of it. But I do believe that with God’s help, we can display all the Fruit of the Spirit. And once we do that, we can begin to operate in the Gifts of the Spirit. That being said, let’s jump into this topic.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. We’re going to dissect each part of this verse individually in order to get a full understanding of what it means. Love Matthew 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love is one of the most used words in the Bible (I just googled it). We’re called to love everyone. Not just our friends and family. We’re called to love our enemies. The people who persecute us. The people who we think don’t deserve love. That’s who we’re called to love the most. Jesus died for Christians and non-believers alike. That’s real love. We’re called to show that same unconditional love to everyone we come across. Joy John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is a mindset. No one is happy all the time. But everyone can be joyful. You can be sad and joyful at the same time. Having joy through a sad time means understanding that it’s okay to be upset, but also realizing that it’s all in God’s hands. The scripture above tells us that God gave us His joy. His joy is inside of us and He wants us to enjoy it to the fullest. Peace John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace… In this world full of chaos, peace isn’t easy to come by. But I have good news: God can give it to us. In fact, He already has. Peace comes through Christ alone. Showing peace means being slow to anger. It means showing grace, whether it’s deserved or not. Be a peacemaker. Patience Ephesians 4:1-2 Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…with patience… We each have a calling over our life. And in order to walk in that calling, we have to have patience. Patience isn’t an easy thing to accomplish; being patient with God isn’t always easy. God almost never does things on our time. But we must always remember that His timing is best. Patience is also crucial when dealing with people. Showing people patience is a true sign of the Holy Spirit. Kindness Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness… We were, and are, chosen by God. We’re chosen to be His followers and His friends. We’re chosen to be like Him. Jesus was the most kind and compassionate person to ever walk this earth. He prayed for and forgave the people who mocked Him, spit on Him, beat Him, and crucified Him. He showed kindness to them even though He knew what they would do to Him. I don’t know about you, but that kind of compassion is inspiring to me. I want to have that level of kindness and compassion. And Christ wants us to as well. I had originally planned for this to be one post, but I didn’t realize how long it was going to be after I finished all nine Fruits. That being said, come back on Monday to discuss the rest of the Fruits, as well as my method for living these out daily.
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MissionIn short, I started this blog because I want to give girls all over the world hope. All of the topics I write about on this blog are things that I have struggled with or am still struggling with. I want to help young women everywhere achieve freedom through Christ. Archives
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