THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

The FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – Galatians 5:22-23

The rarer a fruit is, the more expensive it comes. Believers in Christ are blessed with fruit that is far more precious than the rarest of luxury fruits. Christ-like character is of far greater worth than any premium-priced rare fruit in the marketplace. We Christians have the seeds in us to produce the Fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal.5:22-23). Each dimension of this Fruit is a specific aspect of Christlikeness, a distinct dimension of the Character of Christ.

We observe throughout the Gospels, how Christ exemplified these virtues in both words and deeds. Now, He wants to produce the same qualities through the seed of His indwelling Spirit in our hearts. In reality, Christ desires to live His life in and through us, as demonstrated in how we think, what we say, and how we respond to life from day to day (Jh.15:1-4). We are not saved because we bear fruit; but every believer must bear fruit because he or she is saved by trusting and resting in the perfect redemptive work of our Saviour Jesus, who bore away the sin of the world.

The fruit of the Spirit grows in the soil of obedience. As you walk daily in the reality of redemption and yield to God’s indwelling Spirit, your life will be transformed to the likeness of Christ. As you cultivate the Spirit’s fruit growing within your heart, in an ever-increasing fashion, its variegated expressions will saturate your life, flow to bless those around you, and flourish through time, into eternity. In Christ Jesus, you will be a model of Love, a vessel of Joy, a vehicle of Peace, a personification of Patience, a manifestation of Kindness, an expression of Goodness, an epitome of Gentleness, and an example in Self-control. Go forth and flourish in Him!