In John 15:4–5, Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. Fruit is not something you try and produce to become a Christian it is something you produce because you are a Christian. So how do I allow the Holy Spirit to produce love in my life? We look again at Paul’s words in Galatians 5, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Bearing the Holy Spirit’s fruit comes as we walk by the Spirit. However, like the apple tree which produces apples that provide nourishment to the consumer, our lives filled with the power of the Holy Spirit will produce fruit that impacts the world around us in life-giving ways. My fleshly attempts to be good consistently fail and have on occasion caused me to damage relationships with others because I was unloving. In situations where my seemingly well-intentioned plans did not come to fruition, frustration with others has sometimes been my response. I have tried to love people in my own strength and found that there are some people that I cannot love without God’s help. Love never ends.” Love’s growth in us will impact how we relate to others and will change us from selfish users to servants.īy describing the Holy Spirit’s work in us as fruit, Paul reminds us that the Fruit of the Spirit is not something that we create through our willpower or good intentions. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It does not insist on its own way it is not irritable or resentful it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
Paul writing to the Christians in Corinth described the characteristics of love in this way, “Love is patient and kind love does not envy or boast it is not arrogant or rude. When Jesus stated that the second greatest commandment was for humans to love others as they love himself or herself, He was instructing humans to seek to live in ways that bring value and benefit to others.
This great love reveals God’s heart for us and calls us to live in the same way as His people.Īs love is borne in our lives, sweetness results which bless those around us. Jesus willingly gave Himself for all not when we were at our best but while we were dead in our sin. In fact, John the Apostle states that “God is love” and “We love because He first loved us.” The reality of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection reveals love in its truest form. Love is the centerpiece of God’s interaction with humanity. I do not believe it is by accident that Paul lists love first when he writes about the Holy Spirit fruit. He writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” The Apostle Paul in Galatians 5 uses the word “fruit” to describe the characteristics produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christ-follower. Each piece of fruit is part of an intricate process of development which includes pollination, fertilization, growth, and ripening. Tasty fruit is produced by healthy trees.
While fruit from the tree can provide bountiful blessings to the consumer, a piece of fruit cannot produce itself. The fragrance of ripe fruit coupled with the beauty of nature enhanced my appetite and I was never disappointed when I stopped to taste the sweetness of the low-hanging fruit. Have you ever enjoyed the beauty of an orchard? As a young boy, one of my favorite adventures was to wander through an apple orchard at harvest time. Louis, Missouri who has been supporting Mercy for over 19 years. Pastor David is the pastor of community life at Crosspoint Church in St. For this week’s Fruits of the Spirit guest blog, Pastor David Verret writes about the spirit of Love.
0 kommentar(er)
