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Fruit of the Spirit?  What is that?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-27 (KJV)

Webster’s Dictionary describes fruit as:

1. a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause  (see “effect”)
   
2. something produced by physical or intellectual effort (see “product”)

and uses this sentence as an example:  “One fruit of your faithfulness in carrying out your duties will be more rewarding responsibilities.”  (Merriam-Webster Online)

In other words, this example says that as a result of doing what you’re supposed to do, you will receive more rewarding or fulfilling responsibilities. If you are faithful, you will consistently do what God wants, and in return, He will bless you – call you to do His work, which is more fulfilling and more rewarding than anything else you could ever do.

The fruit you produce will cause you to receive more fruit, which in turn, will cause you to bear even more fruit – a cycle that reproduces more abundantly every time.

God creates a fertile environment for us to grow and increase in – He arranges everything for us in His perfect way so that we can produce fruit that will be a blessing to others.  But what kind of fruit is God expecting from us?

He wants us to develop and produce something of value.  He wants us to grow into blooming trees that produce luscious fruit of the spirit:

• Love – unconditional, agape love that is unaffected by anything another person could ever do.
• Joy – the hope, encouragement, and inspiration that He puts in our hearts should be contagious.  Others should not be able to leave our presence without carrying away a boost of joy of their own.
• Peace – the calm that quiets even the most chaotic of environments.  Your inner-peace should standout and be undeniable even when things and people seem to be going crazy around you.  Someone should be able to come to you and hear the whispers of Jesus saying, “Peace, be still” and instantly have their spirit stilled. (Mark 4:39)
• Longsuffering – patiently endure lasting offenses or hardships without losing faith or hope.  Even when others do hurtful things you’re able to withstand it.  People may wonder why nothing seems to get to you.
• Gentleness – to possess a kind, honorable, distinguished character.  Although we don’t use the word this way anymore, in 13^th century the word functioned to describe a family of high social station.  The Latin root, gens (gentilis) meant family or nation.  In this context we can use it to identify ourselves as a member of the high family of Christ that should be easily recognizable by our character.
• Goodness – the character of righteousness, virtue, honestly and morality.
• Faith- the complete giving over of control to God, total trust in and loyalty to Him.  The absence of worry is one fruit of faith.  You can bless others by sharing your faith with them, especially if they are unbelievers.
• Meekness – humility.
• Temperance - moderation in action, thought, or feeling, restraint – not giving in to overindulgence or obsessions – in other words:  Self-Control.  Also associated with moderation of or abstaining completely from the use of alcoholic beverages.

Learning to ripen our Fruit of the Spirit will help us to become a blessing to others.  My latest book, Be a Blessing, will show you 77 different ways to do just that.  Be sure to order your copy today!

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