Fruit Of The Spirit

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

a prayer to open

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

May your Kingdom come, may your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Paul spent the bulk of his letter to the Galatians sharing the gospel and encouraging his listeners to find freedom in Christ rather than become enslaved to either the law (a set of rules to abide by) or the flesh (selfish desires that lead to destruction instead of life). Instead, he said, we are to live by the Spirit, and the Spirit provides freedom. But the freedom of the Spirit doesn’t lead us to do whatever we want, to indulge or satisfy our every desire; rather, the freedom of the Spirit leads us to serve one another in love. We have been given freedom to live for the sake of others, and there is no mistaking a life lived in the Spirit. We will see obvious evidence: the “fruit.” When we see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives (or, perhaps better put, when others see these in our lives), we know we are living by the Spirit. When we are living by the Spirit, our lives will speak of the one we follow.

• Take a few minutes to do some inventory. How are you doing in living the fruit of the spirit? Consider asking a family member or close friend what they see in you.
• When are you susceptible to self-indulgence or self-centered actions? What practices help you cultivate fruit of the Spirit?
• Where would you like to see growth in yourself when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit? What is your prayer?

Father, I come before you as best as I know how to open my heart to your transforming work. I long to live in complete freedom, displaying the fruit of your Spirit in every part of my life. Show me the ways I am still enslaved to rules or my own selfish desires. In the areas I need to grow, give me opportunities and humility so I can more fully live out the freedom I have in Christ by loving others as you do. Amen.