The Fruit of the Spirit

We need to abide in the vine in order to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

I have been feeding my soul with worship music, teaching materials, and I’m also listening to a lot of books. I really feel the need to have written material in front of me in order to meditate upon the truths of God. Yes, I am also reading the Bible. I have the Bible on audio, but still enjoying reading the Bible from an actual hard copy.  This way I can highlight certain truths and quickly find these truths again in the future.  

We need to dig deeper into God’s truth for spiritual fruit in our lives. A passage in Galatians tells us we need to crucify our flesh and say no to our flesh. By nature we all want to put our flesh first. God’s Word tells us we are to love our God first and then to love our neighbor. Amazingly, when we walk in the Spirt and live in the Spirit, we find even more fruit of the Spirit in our lives. In the flesh, I don’t always want to do ministry. However, I die to myself. John 12:24 tells us, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” We need to give of ourselves for the benefit of others. When we sow love we will also receive love in our lives.   

God’s truth sets our hearts and minds at peace. Often people who do not have the fruits of the Spirit have heart issues which have not been dealt with. We need to know God does in fact exist, and He loves us and wants to help us in our lives. We need to meditate upon this truth every day. We need to see ourselves as God’s special children. In Genesis 37:3 we learn that Jacob had a son, Joseph, whom he dearly loved. “Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.” We need to recognize the personal love God has for each of us. Consider yourself special, unique, and loved.   

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:22-26

It is enjoyable to be in someone’s company who is loving and caring—who has the fruit of the Spirit.  In contrast, no one enjoys being with someone who is grumpy and bitter. When I am in public, I look for opportunities to talk with people. Some will not even look at you. How pleasant it is to receive a smile and an acknowledgement from someone. We need people in our lives. We need to believe God for all things and keep walking in obedience and love—trusting God that the best is yet to come. ~Charlie DeTellis