THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (WEB)

It is interesting to note that in today's Bible reading, the Apostle Paul describes 'the fruit' of the Spirit, not the 'fruits' (plural). The fruit that a life led by the Spirit yields is a combination of many wonderful attributes... Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control are all facets of the same diamond.

In John 15:8, Jesus tells us that His Father is glorified when we bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be His disciples. I truly believe that the fruit that Jesus speaks about in John 15, is the very same fruit we are talking about today. While the work we do in service to God does bear good fruit, I believe the fruit that truly honors our Heavenly Father is found here in today's Scripture reading.

While signs and wonders, healings, salvation, acts of service, etc. are all wonderful, they can sometimes be accomplished without a manifestation of love, joy, peace, etc. in the process. I believe that what our Father is looking for first and foremost, is the fruit that is born in our own lives as a result of us knowing we are personally and eternally loved by God.

The more that we know that we are truly accepted in the beloved, the more that this revelation will set our hearts at rest in all that we do. The result will be more personal peace, more joy, more kindness towards others and more patience.

My prayer today is that we would all bear much fruit in the secret place of our own hearts. May the revelation of being completely and forever loved by the Godhead bring a deeper sense of well being in our inner being than we have ever known before.

May the external works that we are all called to do derive their life source from the truth that we are loved and accepted whether we do the work or not. May the result of living in love cause us to do the greater works that Jesus promised, but may those works never cause us to define what we think the fruit of the Spirit is.

John 15:4-9
4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. 8 “In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. 9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. (WEB)