The Fruits Of The Spirit

Bethany is an English Teacher in Sandwell

Galatians 5:22-25 (NIVUK)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

By listing the nine fruits of the Spirit, Paul tells us what to cherish and cultivate; this is the single-minded care and endeavour that Paul urges the Galatians to work on. Paul instructs the Church, then and now, to reject the path of sinful, selfish desires; instead, he calls us to walk by the Spirit. 

God calls us to a life in the Spirit where the fruits are evident in our daily walk with him. One of the fruits that the Lord whispers in my ears from time to time is self-control, which can be particularly difficult to exercise when tiredness threatens to creep in. 

Have you ever struggled with any of these fruits of the Spirit in your busy and demanding lives? Do you exercise all these fruits of the Spirit when life stretches you to your limit? Be encouraged. It’s the Spirit that sustains us in our weakness and helps us to walk faithfully with Christ, even in times of difficulty and trial. 

Living by the Spirit is a daily call to pick up our cross and ask the Spirit, the 'present helper' in times of trouble, to contend for us in prayer so that we can faithfully reflect all the fruits of the Spirit in all that we say and do. 

Crucifying the 'flesh', our worldly nature, can be painful, as it feels like it can flare up and take over at any moment. But God desires us to walk in step with the Spirit and be ambassadors of Christ, reflecting his very nature everywhere we go. His Spirit lives within us, a deposit of our salvation, reminding us that we are never alone. 

Prayer - Lord, help me to exercise the fruits of the Spirit even when opposition or trials come knocking at my door.