Fruits 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." (Galatians Chapter 5, verses 22-23)
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.... If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16,25).
"If you love Me, keep My commandments.... He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him" (John 14:15,21).
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper"(Psalm 1:3).
Love - "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Joy
"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
Peace
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Long Suffering/Patience
We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Kindness
We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).
Goodness
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).
Faithfulness
"O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Meekness/Gentleness
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Temperance/Self-Control
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
When you are filled with the holy Spirit your nature changes. You have a desire to do good works and be kind to people. You have a love in your heart for all persons. You imitate Christ and show love.
It will probably be obvious to your family and friends that something is different about you. You are different because God is working through you. Imagine if more people would seek to live in the Spirit and be filled with it daily. What an incredible world we could have!
How To Receive The Fruit Of The Spirit
In the life of the Christian, there is
a law at work which is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans
8:2). When you submit to and apply this law in your life, the Holy Spirit
can begin to manifest the fruit of the Spirit within you
(Romans 8:4).
As a Christian, you should seek the fruit of the Spirit, which is the nature of Jesus being produced within you. Scripture makes it clear that total surrender to Christ and His Word opens the way to the life of fruitfulness and spiritual productivity. In practical ways, you should put into action the admonition given in Ephesians 4:21-24: to rid yourself of all old deceitful desires, attitudes, practices, etc. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who works within you to present you blameless and holy unto the Lord.
It is important to understand that the Holy Spirit produces the fruit or qualities of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). How does the Spirit do this? You can find the answer by studying all Bible references which relate to the fruit of the Spirit. For example, see Isaiah 26:3 about "peace" and Romans 5:3 about "patience."
When God commands you to love Him and your neighbour, this is in a very real sense a promise that the Holy Spirit will produce that love within you. Yet there are practical steps you can take to allow Him to do this. Select someone whom you should genuinely love, but don't. Now ask God to give you a great love for that person. Then ask Him to show you how you can bless him or her.
While waiting on the Lord to give you a genuine regard for the person, begin to list all his or her good qualities. The more praiseworthy things you discover, the more aware you will become of what God sees in that individual. The more you are aware of what God sees, the more you will find yourself rejoicing with love for that person. Be sure to tell the person of your experience. Share the praiseworthy things you have discovered.
As you receive love, you will also receive the other fruit of the Spirit, including goodness, kindness, meekness (humble submissiveness to God) and faithfulness toward the person and toward God. Jesus says that when you have done something for one of His, you have done it for Him.
When you have the fruit of the Spirit operating in your life, no one can find a reason to accuse you before God. You will find yourself able to get along with others and, in turn, they will be able to get along with you.As You Pray Ask God to reveal any sin in you. Repent. He will cleanse you of that hindering sin. Then you should ask for the fruit of the Spirit. Commit yourself to a life in the Holy Spirit. He will then reveal practical ways you can obey Him and use your God-given abilities to help you mature spiritually (Hebrews 5:14). This process is a result of your obedience and commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Praise and thank God for the grace that will help you to become more like Jesus in character.
Fruit of the Spirit - Visible Growth in Jesus Christ
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible
attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of
Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from
which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one
ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy
Spirit. Collectively, these are the fruits that all Christians should
be producing in their new lives with Jesus Christ.
Fruit of the Spirit - The Nine Biblical Attributes
The
fruit of the Spirit is a physical manifestation of a Christian's
transformed life. In order to mature as believers, we should study and
understand the attributes of the ninefold fruit.
The Roles of the Holy Spirit -- John 16:7-14
As the divine helper and instructor, the Holy Spirit guides believers into all truth. Throughout our Christian walk, He reveals God's thoughts and purpose for our lives.
Yesterday, I pointed out that the Spirit's overall goal is to transform our lives. He accomplishes this through three roles.
The first function of the Holy Spirit is evangelistic. In other words, He wants us to recognize our sinfulness and need for a Savior. His desire is that we comprehend how our sin separates us from the Lord. Then, as we become aware of the gap between ourselves and the heavenly Father, the Spirit of God enables understanding of the Cross and brings us to salvation.
Next is a discipleship role--the Holy Spirit teaches us how to walk in dependence upon Him and relate to each other. He also directs us to areas of effective service for God.
The Spirit also works in a missionary role. The Father wants everyone to come to know Jesus as Savior, and salvation through Christ provides believers with an opportunity to share their faith with others. This missionary work is accomplished through more than just our words--our character and conduct can also "speak" clearly.
The Holy Spirit has a three-fold purpose for every single believer: evangelism, discipleship, and missions. As our faith matures, we will see Him operate in all of these roles. And as a result, we'll have a fuller picture of who God is, how He operates in our lives, and the ways we can participate in His work.
Love In Deed
Today's Scripture
“If anyone has this world’s resources and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him? Let us not love merely in theory or in speech, but in deed and in truth” (I John 3:17-18 AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
You are the hands and feet of Jesus in the earth. The Lord wants to bless you today so that you can be a blessing to others. He wants to work through you to show His love and compassion. Notice this verse tells us that love isn’t just about our words or thoughts, it’s about our actions. Love is about reaching out and meeting the needs of others. Sometimes meeting someone’s needs is as simple as a smile or sharing a word of encouragement. There are many ways to show the love of God. Can you pay for someone’s gas or groceries? Do you see a need in someone’s life that you can meet? Look for ways to put your love into action. The Bible says that it’s His kindness that leads people to repentance, and the Lord wants to show His kindness in the earth through you. Step out and sow good seeds of love by meeting the needs of others. God promises that those seeds will produce an abundant harvest in your life in return!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your hand of blessing in my life. Thank You for choosing to work through me today. I submit myself and my resources to You. Show me ways to be a blessing to others so that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
In Touch Daily Devotional
God has ordained prayer as the way to approach Him for
direction and help. The Savior's life exemplified this. He prayed
before selecting His disciples, feeding the five thousand, and raising
Lazarus from the dead. And at Gethsemane, as He was about to face His
trial and crucifixion, Jesus spent time praying intensely. The Savior's
whole life was one long communion with His Father so He could know and
achieve God's will.
The apostle Paul had the same desire for himself
and also for the church. His prayer--that the Colossians would
understand and follow God's plan--can serve as a model for our own. He
asked the Father to give them "wise minds and spirits attuned to His
will" (Colossians 1:9 msg). Both are developed by the Holy Spirit in
response to prayer.
Spiritual wisdom (v. 9 nasb) comes from a mind
trained to focus on what matters to God and a spirit ready to accept
His direction. This type of wisdom includes the ability to see the
world as God does, identify where He is at work, and recognize when He
is prompting us to join Him. Once we've received God's direction, our
next priority is to carry out His instructions in a way that He
approves, or as Paul said, to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord" and
to "please Him in all respects" (vv. 9-10). This prayer encompasses
both actions and attitudes.
Imagine the glory that is brought to God when our
character, conduct, and conversation give evidence of Christ's presence
in our life. He desires to accomplish this in us, but first, we must
ask.
by Dr. Charles Stanley
October 24, 2007 -- A Pattern for Powerful Prayer -- Colossians 1:3-9
