But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law…
Galatians 5:22-23
This week we are
going to be studying the Fruit of the Spirit.
When we are living in the Spirit, the fruit that comes out of our lives
will reflect the Holy Spirit, but when we are living in our sinful nature, the
fruit in our lives will reflect our sinful nature. This week as we look at the different
attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, open yourself up to the Holy Spirit and
ask Him to produce good fruit in your life and to help you overcome your
opposing sinful nature.
Love
It has been said that Love makes the world go round. Well, there is some truth in that statement since we are human and as humans, we crave love. Love is generally associated with feelings and feelings are important. God wants us to really feel love for Him and others, but more than that, God longs for us to experience a greater love, beyond any human emotions.
It has been said that Love makes the world go round. Well, there is some truth in that statement since we are human and as humans, we crave love. Love is generally associated with feelings and feelings are important. God wants us to really feel love for Him and others, but more than that, God longs for us to experience a greater love, beyond any human emotions.
This incredible
love can only come from one place and that is from God. 1 John 4:7 says Beloved, let us
love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God
and knows God. God showed
His love for us first by giving us life and a beautiful world to live in. Then
He gave His son as the ultimate sacrifice of love for us. He has shown us mercy and grace and wants us
to show love, mercy and grace to the world, the fruit of the spirit flowing
from our lives. God wants His love to
stay in a continuous stream from Him, to us, out of us to others and to
Him.
Joy
Let’s face it,
there are just some days that are very hard days and the thought of exuding joy
is crazy. Joy in a sense, goes hand in
hand with peace. When we have peace and
know that God is in control when everything is spinning out of control, we have
a sense of joy. This is not the giddy, laughing hysterically joy that you may
feel at a party once in a while. This is
a feeling of knowing that you have a purpose and a place in Christ and that He
is going to take care of you. Even in
times of suffering you can have joy.
Even in times of uncertainty you can have joy. Being a Christian doesn’t mean life will be
easy and we will not suffer hardships.
It means we have an anchor. It
means we know that God is in control when we are not. We can have hope because we have a different
perspective of eternity and people around you can see the fruit of joy in your
life.
Peace
Peace - now that is
definitely something I could use more of.
These days we all live such hectic, crazy lives that we have filled
absolutely every second with something else to do. The busier I get and the more “crises” I have
to deal with in my life, the more I cling to God for the peace I can get only
from Him. He can give me calmness,
confidence, and inner contentment even when the storm is raging fiercely around
me. This is only possible through the Holy Spirit and His presence in my
life. It is a fruit of the Spirit in my
life that I can exhibit to the world around me with my example of how I react
and handle the catastrophes of life. How
do people make it through these hard times without the blessed assurance of the
Holy Spirit and His love for them? l
Scripture to Claim:
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life” Proverbs 11:30
