Galatians 5:22-26 | Fruit of the Spirit
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.
-Galatians 5:22-26
24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.
-Galatians 5:22-26
On the other side of the this flesh vs. Spirit battle, we are faced with the fruit of the Spirit. There is an important lesson that I want us to understand. We do not perfect ourselves in doing each of these things in order to be walking in the Spirit. This should not be a list that we look at and go, "Oh I am lacking in patience! I need more joy! I need to have more self-control. Then I will be in the Spirit." I have heard too many teachings on that and I want to set the record straight.
Fruit is a result. When it comes to growing food, we are not starting with hanging fruit upon a tree. We begin with the soil. We nurture and care for the soil. We remove rocks, weeds, and anything else that might hinder growth. Then we move to the seed. We water it and cultivate the area so that the seed would produce life. As the tree grows, we guide it and help it along so that it would not be uprooted by weather or any other thing. We remove pests, more weeds, and any other thing that would hinder the growth. We continue to water. We prune. We focus on the growth of the tree. Only after all of that has been done does the fruit begin to grow. If the root system and soil was cared for well, then you will have delicious and nutritious fruit.
This is the same for our Christian life. We are not to focus on producing fruit. For those who walk by the Spirit, the fruit comes by naturally. If you are walking by the Spirit, you will exhibit all of the fruit of the Spirit. If you lack in various areas, it is not that you need to work on those things as much as it is that you need to conform to the Spirit's lead. To lack fruit is evidence that something has gone wrong in process. And understand that the Lord does not make mistakes.
In the same effort that we examined ourselves humbly yesterday, I encourage us to do the same today. Look at this list. As you examine your life in light of it, are you trusting in the Spirit's leading of your life? What is the evidence for it if so? How can your further cultivate the soil in your own life?
Fruit is a result. When it comes to growing food, we are not starting with hanging fruit upon a tree. We begin with the soil. We nurture and care for the soil. We remove rocks, weeds, and anything else that might hinder growth. Then we move to the seed. We water it and cultivate the area so that the seed would produce life. As the tree grows, we guide it and help it along so that it would not be uprooted by weather or any other thing. We remove pests, more weeds, and any other thing that would hinder the growth. We continue to water. We prune. We focus on the growth of the tree. Only after all of that has been done does the fruit begin to grow. If the root system and soil was cared for well, then you will have delicious and nutritious fruit.
This is the same for our Christian life. We are not to focus on producing fruit. For those who walk by the Spirit, the fruit comes by naturally. If you are walking by the Spirit, you will exhibit all of the fruit of the Spirit. If you lack in various areas, it is not that you need to work on those things as much as it is that you need to conform to the Spirit's lead. To lack fruit is evidence that something has gone wrong in process. And understand that the Lord does not make mistakes.
In the same effort that we examined ourselves humbly yesterday, I encourage us to do the same today. Look at this list. As you examine your life in light of it, are you trusting in the Spirit's leading of your life? What is the evidence for it if so? How can your further cultivate the soil in your own life?
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January
John 14:22-31 | What's the lesson for me today?John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?John 14:22-31 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:1-11John 15:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:1-11 | What's the connection?John 15:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:12-27John 15:12-27 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:12-27 | What's the connection?John 15:12-27 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:12-27 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:12-27 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:12-27 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:1-15John 16:1-15 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:1-15 | What's the connection?John 16:1-15 | What’s a lesson for the original audience?John 16:1-15 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:1-15 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:1-15 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:16-33 | What's the connection?John 16:16-33 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 16:16-33 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:16-33 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:16-33 | Prayer Prompts
February
Passage of the Week: John 17John 17 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 17 | What's the connection?John 17 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 17 | What's the lesson for me today?John 17 | What am I going to do about it?John 17 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:1-11John 18:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:1-11 | What's the connection?John 18:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:12-40John 18:12-40 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:12-40 | What's the connection?John 18:12-40 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:12-40 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:12-40 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:12-40 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 19John 19 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 19 | What's the connection?John 19 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 19 | What's the lesson for me today?John 19 | What am I going to do about it?John 19 | Prayer Prompts
March
Passage of the Week: John 20John 20 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 20 | What's the connection?John 20 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 20 | What's the lesson for me today?John 20 | What am I going to do about it?John 20 | Prayer PromptsJohn 21 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 21John 21 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 21 | What's the connection?John 21 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 21 | What's the lesson for me today?John 21 | What am I going to do about it?Passage of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-4Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What is a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 1:5-14Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:5-14 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:1-4Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the connection?
April
Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 2:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:5-9Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the connection?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What am I going to do about it?
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