The Fruits of the Spirit

For the next nine weeks, I will be facilitating a discussion of the 9 Fruits of the Spirit for our Wednesday night Women's Bible Study. When I volunteered to do the Study, I thought that it was going to be somewhat of an easier task than it's turning out to be, simply because there is just "so much food" to share. The apostle Paul has packed a lot into the two verses in Galatians 5:22-23, setting forth the "Fruits of the Spirit". To precede the message set forth in 5:22-23, Paul tells us that the "acts of the sinful nature" are obvious and spells them out and warns that those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. BUT, rather than having that be the end of the matter, Paul gives a path for all to live a life worthy of calling ourselves Christians (i.e., Christ-like). Paul tells us that the "fruit" of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." It should be noted that Paul speaks of them in the singular because "the fruit of the Spirit" is a compound description of what the Christian lifestyle and character traits are all about, and they are an unbroken whole. It's not as if we, as Christians, can decide that we are going to put our spiritual energy into two or three of the nine listed, and ignore the rest. Rather, we should be trying to view the "fruit of the Spirit" as the whole enchilada, so to speak. I think that we all want to have a Christ-centered personality, because otherwise what would be the point of all of this? We know the ending for those of us who will choose to accept Christ and be obedient to his commands.

For the Study, I've chosen to discuss the 9 Fruits of the Spirit, in the order that Paul has set them out because he obviously had his reasons for doing so. He starts will love, which will be the cornerstone for all of the other 8, as we are finding to be the case. How then do we best allow ourselves to develop the traits of a Christian personality? You've likely heard this many times and from many sources of what Jesus has distilled down as a Christian's responsibility. He has done so in two commands: Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, soul, and body, and to love your neighbor as yourself. If we do these two things, what else is there left that would prevent us from having the character of Christ, the author and perfector of our faith?

No one has ever said that living life as a Christian would be easy. But, it also wasn't easy for Christ to endure what He did for us, and yet he did it. I am thankful and want to try and live my life by the Spirit, His Spirit, and He has given us the manual to do so. So, the next time you may be in a situation or situations, where life has gotten you down, and you need some encouragement, I would recommend that you pick up the manual and read Galatians 5:22-23. Be reminded of our reward: As obedient Christians, we are going to inherit the Kingdom of God. Wishing all of you a blessed weekend. For those of you who do not have a Church home, you are invited and we welcome you to join us for worship and fellowship this Sunday, Palm Sunday, and next Sunday, on Easter Sunday.

In His Love,
Charlotte Adams

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