“But the fruit of the Spirit is
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
and Self-Control.
Against such things there is no law.” ~Galatians 5:22-23
~~~
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that you will know God’s followers by their fruit. As followers of God, we may wonder just how we can bear this fruit. How do we work towards being a more Spirit-filled person?
We don’t! See, the fruit of the Spirit is a set of characteristics we become, not a list of actions we do. If the Holy Spirit is already dwelling within us, then there is nothing we can do to merit any more or less from him. This is the part where grace comes in—God doing for us what we don’t deserve. When we are weak and not enough, that’s when God’s power is made perfect through grace.
Robert Longman Jr. says that “these matters of character are the stuff which gives life-ness to life. It is holiness taking root in you.” Yes, there are actions we must take, but as imitators of God—we watch what he does, and then we do it, like little children. And the Spirit, who is constantly at work within us, will change and form us into people who are characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Isn’t that awesome? :)
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