Fruits of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

    In these verses we are told the fruits of the Spirit, the qualities of a Christian, the things of which Jesus has given us examples of in His life. These fruits of the Spirit are things that should be in our life as a result of our relationship with God. He has set forth the perfect example of how to live out these fruits in our lives, as He walked on the earth for 33 years. Paul says in the verses prior to this that the passions of the flesh are anger, rivalries, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, and so on. And those who do such things as these will not inherit His kingdom. But He then tells us the fruits of the Spirit and those things in which those who do enter the kingdom of God should have. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit then He will be daily working on these qualities in our life, making us more and more like Himself. I can’t help but being reminded of the perfect example of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that Jesus gave us in His life. As my relationship with God grows stronger, these things in my life should become more evident and visible in my daily life.

    These are all very difficult things to have on a daily basis. People will always rub us the wrong way and disappoint us in our life. And it is how we deal with hard situations that show how evident these qualities are in our life. To always be loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled is a part of my life that needs to grow just as much as any other. These qualities will continue to mature us and help make us look more like Jesus and shine His light to those who don’t know Him.

   One way I can help myself to have these qualities is to memorize this verse and memorize these fruits of the Spirit and as I walk throughout my day, to ask myself if I’m acting out these fruits of the Spirit in which I should be filled with. If we ask God for strength, His strength then He will help us to act in these ways and represent Him well as His children.