The Fruit of the Spirit!

Galatians 5:22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

This week in our devotion time together we have been looking at the verses above. We have had some great discussions and guidance through the presenter as he seeks to bring what God has laid on his heart. It has made me think a little on my own and isn’t that exactly what the Word of God does in our lives…. Brings us new revelation as we read and study it.

So, here are a few thoughts I have been having as we have been studying this passage.

One of the questions that always seem to come up when these verses are thought about or reflected on is how do we get the fruit of the Spirit? Or, how do I know I have the fruit of the Spirit? How do I keep the fruit of the Spirit in my life? There are many others you may have heard or have yourself, but I will try and give my take on these three….

The first and second question are basically the same answer, how do I get the fruit of the Spirit in my life?” “How do I know I have the fruit of the Spirit?” The easy answer is if you are a Christian, that is if you believe all that in stated in I Corinthians 15: 3-5, that Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again according to the scriptures, and that witnesses saw Him… If you know beyond a shadow of doubt that these things are true… then you should have the fruit of the Spirit. I say this because…. In Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…”, in II Corinthians 5:5, “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” God gave us His spirit when we became His child, so if you profess to be a child of God, a Christian, then you have the Spirit in you and the fruit of that Spirit should be manifested in your life.

The last question is one that is not so easy to answer. “How do I keep the fruit of the Spirit in my life?” I am not sure I have the right answer, but this is what I think….

I am assuming that anyone reading this will know who King David is… How he was a shepherd and then became king after Saul. His life was not by any means a bed of roses. He ran from Saul for many years, and this caused him great sorrow, he was depressed much of the time. He also did some things as king he should have been “impeached” for, but God knew he was a man after His own heart. No, he was not a Christian as we are Christians, but he was a man that God had poured His Spirit and being into. Now here is the thing, do you think the Spirit of God was manifested in David’s life when he was depressed and running from God? Do you think when he took Bathsheba as his wife after he had her husband killed the Spirit was manifested in his life? So, if a man after God’s own heart struggled with having the Spirit of God manifested in his life, why would we be any different?

Now think of the word I used in the paragraph above….. manifested. David still had God’s Spirit, he was still a child of His, His life just didn’t always show it. So, the question shouldn’t be, how can I keep the fruit of the Spirit in my life, but How can the fruit of the Spirit be manifested in my life through the good and the bad times. Or why are there times when I don’t seem to feel those fruits in my life?

One, answer is humanly, YOU can’t…. but the spirit can. See, I am coming to realize that if I pull away from the things, I know help me to be in the presence of my God, then His Spirit shrinks in me and can not shine. So, the way to keep the Spirit is to be in God’s presence. How can this be done daily, hour by hour, minute by minute? That my friend is an awesome question…. I have been and will continue to formulate a way to do that… here are a couple of verses to think about…

Philippians 4:8-9

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the peace of God will be with you.”

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.   

Thanks for reading. God Bless you!