I’ve been thinking of the fruits of the Spirit recently. I remember as a Sunday school child how I would proudly raise my hand when asked if I knew all of them. I would stand up and invariably miss one. And that was it. I wouldn't think about them after that.
But the fruits of the spirit aren’t just a church-ism. They are real. Paul writes:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV).
I looked at those and realized that, as a Christian, the Holy Spirit is in me. How should people be able to tell? By what emanates from me. Am I loving? Joyful? Peaceful? Patient? Kind? Good? Faithful? Gentle? Self-controlled?
When you give your life to God, He starts molding you into the person you need to be. This process lasts until you die. Now, certain factors affect how quickly you are shaped, but it begins as soon as you enter God’s Kingdom.
The Holy Spirit is given to comfort and guide you. If you are living in loving obedience to God, these qualities will shine in everything you do.
Someone will wrong you. Your response? You will lovingly forgive them.
Someone will grate at you. Your response? You will treat them kindly.
People will betray and hurt you. Your response? You will be a faithful friend to them; you won’t treat them how they treated you.
You are given a responsibility. Your response? You joyfully step into your role and demonstrate self-control.
You see, when God takes over your life you can’t help but change. How you see others and respond to situations will change. These “fruits” (i.e. qualities) will show in your godly outlook on life and your willingness to serve.
As always, I’m going to finish by asking you questions. Most likely you are a Christian. Are these qualities evident in how you treat others? When life throws you a sucker punch, do you respond with these traits?
No one is perfect, but God is here to help us. Be the person you need to be.
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