So, I am going to be trying something new here on the blog: this is the introductory post for my first ever series! This is going to be a sort of test run to see how it does, and hopefully it can be a neat experience for all of us. This series is going to be all about the different fruits of the Spirit, and why they are so important for us to be looking towards as an example of how to be living. Each post will be about one of the fruits of the Spirit: examining what it is, and how we can make it more present in our own life. Then, I am setting an extra goal that I will be working towards, and I hope you will join me! After I publish the post about a fruit of the Spirit, it will be my goal for the next week or two to be implementing that fruit in every day, in everything I do. Whether it is in interactions with people, dealing with a personal issue, or just the daily walks of life, I want this to be an opportunity not just to learn but to grow in each of these fruits. I know that some of these will be harder than others, but I’m excited to break each one of these down and learn about why they are one of the fruits of the Spirit. For now, though, I just want to put in this quick introduction to get everybody in the right mindset as they study these fruits with me.
What is Biblical fruit?
When I started writing this post, I wasn’t even thinking about what the fruits of the Spirit actually are. I was just ready to jump on in. Partway through, I realized that I never really thought about what they were, so I decided to take some time to talk about what they actually are and what it means to bear fruit before I go into each one.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20)
If a person claims to know the Lord and have Him in their heart, the only way that other people will know this is by what fruit they bear. This means that your actions, words, and attitudes will be what people use to distinguish you from the rest of the world. Why? If your heart is focused on things of the world, then the fruit that you will naturally bear will fall in line with the ideas of the world, whatever that may look like in your life. On the other hand, when your whole heart and strength is focused on glorifying God and building His kingdom on earth, then the natural fruit that you will be bearing will be the fruits of the Spirit. This is how we function as humans. As Matthew 7 says, there is no way that we can bear fruit that is out of line with our character and what we put our heart in. If you are rooted in the Gospel, your actions should not be mirroring those of people that are rooted in self-centered and materialistic ideals. It just doesn’t work this way! If you believe your relationship with God is pretty solid, but the fruit you are bearing isn’t lined up with what the Bible says, something isn’t right.
Fruits of the Spirit
The idea of the fruit of the Spirit is found in the book of Galatians, which is Paul’s letters to the church in Galatia. Instead of just sharing the one verse that tells us the fruits, I am going to share with you a big chunk of the chapter it is found in. Until I was doing some research for the blog, I never paid much attention to what the rest of it said, but it’s fascinating!
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:16-26)
Now first of all, I have an important question. If you are like me and grew up in church, were you singing the fruit of the Spirit song while reading that? If so, I am very proud of you: good job!
Secondly, there is a lot of good stuff in here that we can unpack, but I do want to focus on the fruit of the Spirit for now. There are nine fruits in total, some of which are better known than others. Every Christian should be striving for all nine of these to become lifelong habits, but we all know that it isn’t as easy as just saying it. So, what I want you to do is use the list below and give yourself a rating out of five stars for how well you think you bear each of these fruits. And be honest! My personal ratings go anywhere from a one to a five, and it’s okay if something is a one. All it means is that you know which ones you should be prioritizing in your life to better be an example of Jesus Christ. It is better to be honest with yourself and see things that need fixing than to lie to yourself for your own comfort and never see what needs to be fixed. I’m going to include my personal list, because I trust that you will keep me accountable for the areas in my life that are not bearing as much fruit as they should be.
Love: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Joy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Peace: ⭐⭐⭐
Patience: ⭐⭐
Kindness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodness: ⭐⭐
Faithfulness: ⭐⭐
Gentleness: ⭐
Self-control: ⭐⭐
How do I bear Godly fruit?
The answer to this one is simple: practice! As you read through this series, or as you do your own personal research, find out what each of these fruits mean in the Bible and how Jesus presented them while he was on Earth. After you do that, try to mirror what he does in your own life. Some fruits will feel like they come naturally, and some will be a struggle to try to understand and replicate. As long as your heart is focused on trying to become more like Christ, I can guarantee that God will help guide you to that goal. Thank you so much for joining me as I try to expand this blog and my personal impact on the world: it means so much!
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