Week 1: I am most thankful for the fruits of the Spirit. These are found in Gal. 5:22 where Paul lists 9 fruits. In John 15:16 Jesus said that we were appointed to go and bear fruit, that is to display the fruits of the Holy Spirit within us. As I wrote last week, I cannot imagine anyone not wanting the Spirit’s fruits. The importance of the fruits is not what they do for us, but that when other can sense these fruits, we stand out. We are different from other people. I’ll look at first fruit listed this week. The importance of love cannot be overstated. For example Jesus tells us in Mat. 5:44 to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Talk about being different! Jesus also commands us to love one another as He has loved us and by that love the world will know we are His disciples. (Jn 13:34) It is often not easy to love each other, especially when we are hurt or feel misunderstood or are tired, or just generally out of sorts. Yet, that Spirit is within us and I attest to the reality of being able to ask Him for His love for me to give to someone I don’t feel much love for and His giving me that love to give away. My first husband left me for another woman and quit paying child support before I came to faith. After I came to faith, I asked the Spirit to help me love and forgive him with His love and Christ’s forgiveness, and He did! I felt the burden of anger go. Many years later, at our daughter’s college graduation, my ex-husband asked for my forgiveness and I witnessed to him how, with the Spirit’s and Christ’s help, I’d forgiven him long before. Any time you feel short on love, ask the Spirit. He will give you His love to share.
Week 2: The second fruit is joy. Joy is different from happiness. Joy is deep seated while happiness can be fleeting. The joy I feel knowing God has forgiven me with Christ’s, death and the joy of knowing the Holy Spirt is within me is a joy will not change, despite any circumstances, health, relational, financial, or emotional I am enduring. I have such joy in thinking of the beautiful places the Lord has given us to live and the dear people, like you, He has put in my life and the endless blessings with which He has blessed me. The happiness I feel when I see a pretty flower or take my first bite of chocolate doesn’t last long. As with His love, He will give you His joy. As the song goes, “The joy of the Lord will be my strength, I will not waver walking by Faith!”
Week 3: The third fruit this week is one I have needed to ask the Spirit for many, many times, peace. I get upset when I think of the changes in our country and the changing prevailing culture in the past 50 years. I get upset when I think of all our unsaved loved ones, or if I don’t think I have time to do all that I know I want to get done. Whenever I feel unsettled or distressed and ask the Spirit for His peace, I feel a "peace surpassing understanding down in my heart", as the song goes. The Spirit brings to my remembrance that God is in control of everything, including our country, that He loves me and He knows what I need to get done and will enable me to, and that He is coming back and will make all things right in His time. Love, joy and peace. I cannot imagine anyone not wanting those, can you? Next time you are feeling short of love or joy or peace, ask the Spirit. He is ready to give them to you when you ask.
Week 4: Today’s topic is the next fruit of the Spiritt, what both the Old and New King James calls long suffering, the NASB and NIV translate as patience. To me, the idea of long suffering is no different than patience. For example, when my Sweetheart is irritating me asking the Spirit to help me for patience, it is no different than if I asked Him to help be suffering in silence. In either case, I have asked the Spirit for His patience many times and He has always given it to me. I have asked the Spirit to close my mouth and He does, until much later when I could talk about the irritation earlier in a calm voice. Without fail, whatever the matter was, gets resolved with no friction at all. Ask Him for patience when you need it. He will give it to you.
Week 5: The next fruit of the Spirit is what the Old King James calls gentleness, the other translations call kindness. In any case, As with patience, the next five fruits all deal with how we react with other people. It is important because we are told by Jesus to let our lights shine before men (Matt. 5:16).Jesus also said if we are only love those who love us, we are no better than the gentiles (meaning at that time, the unsaved). (Matt.5:46-47) Unexpected kindness to others brings smiles, at least, and often an opportunity to share God’s word. Kindness to strangers is easy for me. I often will let someone ahead of me in line, for example. When they thank me, I respond that we live doing unto others what we would have them do for us, which technically is not in the Bible. We ARE told to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:39) Usually they are very happily surprised. I hope you seek others to whom you can be kind. If you ask Him, the Spirit will show you.
Week 6: The next fruit of the Spirit they all translate goodness. Sorry, I have to laugh and tell you that every time my Sweetheart says, “Oh my Goodness”, I say, “That’s me!” and we both laugh. At first thought kindness and goodness might seem the same thing, but they are not because goodness shows through to other people, but does not need another person with whom to interact, as does kindness/gentleness. Goodness can be recognized in a person’s character and conduct. It is consistent, not like “good” and “bad”, sometimes one and sometimes the other. Goodness flows through from the inside out in how we think, looking for ways we can encourage others, findings so many things for which to be grateful, and in our talk, our attitudes, choice of words, tone. As with all the fruits, Ask the Spirit to let His goodness flow through you that other may see and hear and feel it
Week 7: The next fruit of the Spirit they all translate goodness. Sorry, I have to laugh and tell you that every time my Sweetheart says, “Oh my Goodness”, I say, “That’s me!” and we both laugh. At first thought kindness and goodness might seem the same thing, but they are not because goodness shows through to other people, but does not need another person with whom to interact, as does kindness/gentleness. Goodness can be recognized in a person’s character and conduct. It is consistent, not like “good” and “bad”, sometimes one and sometimes the other. Goodness flows through from the inside out in how we think, looking for ways we can encourage others, findings so many things for which to be grateful, and in our talk, our attitudes, choice of words, tone. As with all the fruits, Ask the Spirit to let His goodness flow through you that other may see and hear and feel it
Week 8: This fruit of the Spirit is translated differently. The Old King James translates it as meekness, the others translate it as gentleness. To me there is similarity, but meekness is not the same as gentleness. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I equate gentleness with kindness, doing for others what we would have them do for us. Meekness, however, has to do with our self image. Meekness is like humility. Keeping in mind who we are and that God, Christ, came and died to save us anyway. We are God’s creation, not our own. That may not make us gentle, but it can’t help but humble us and make us meek. When people try to praise me, I tell them, “It’s just me, an ordinary kid with and EXTRA ordinary God!” No room for pride!
Week 9: The final fruit of the Spirit listed in Gal. 5:22 again is translated differently. The old King James call it temperance. The others all call it self control. Funny, I equate temperance only with control over drinking. That’s probably because I am old enough to have studied the Women’s Temperance Union and the period in our history when Congress passed a law forbidding alcohol to be sold. All before my time, but that’s what I think of when I read temperance. I guess I prefer self control because I think of temperance as self control only in connection with alcohol consumption. We all need self control in every aspect of our lives, our thoughts, our words, what and how much we eat and drink, every aspect of our behavior. I know the Holy Spirit has shut my mouth many times and I am very grateful. In my healing I need for Him to give me self control so I don’t over do. As with all the fruits, the Holy Spirit is within you, just ask him when you feel you need more self control.