”If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.“ Galatians 5:25
So here we are. We open our eyes, and the pressure of the oxygen pushes that oxygen into our lungs, and we’re off. We grew up. For me, I can’t say that my upbringing was a mess, but it had its ups and downs, with my parents getting divorced when I was 12. My father was an alcoholic, and he wasn’t around much from that point forward. My father and I became friends later in our lives, and my greatest memory of him is when He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
I always seemed to be searching for my purpose in life. I didn’t have much guidance, but I did stumble upon personal development. I read just about every book about the subject. Most of that focused on achievement, but why wouldn’t that be the way of this world? It was about how to get on in your life in your career and focused a lot on the financial aspect of life.
I felt a void in my heart as I worked through the information. Forty-eight years into it, I found myself just as lost as when I took that first breath after birth. But the Lord found me and revealed to me through His Word the Purpose of this life.
‘You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. ‘ John 15:16-17
The purpose of this life is to “bear fruit.”
You might ask yourself, “OK, John, what does that mean?”
This fruit would be a financial success, prestige, or status from the personal development space. But the Lord does not have this in mind.
When the Lord gives us the faith to receive Him, the Holy Spirit enters our lives. We are called to follow the Spirit, and as we follow the Spirit, our lives will “bear fruit.”
Let’s look at the “fruit.”
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ‘ Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit that we bear when the Spirit leads us is LOVE. This love is agape love, unconditional love.
This is when you love others, especially those who can do nothing for us. Jesus emphasizes the love we extend to those we have difficulty loving. The love for those we find hard to love is a love of choice.
We choose to love those who do us harm. (This does not mean that we have to remain in a harmful or abusive situation.)
We choose to love those who do not share our beliefs. (This does not mean we must agree with their beliefs.)
We choose to love the person who cut us off in traffic.
We choose to love the person who is rude to us.
‘We love, because He first loved us. ‘ 1 John 4:19
‘ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’ Matthew 5:43-48
What is wonderful about this is that God, through His Word, has provided a measuring stick to help us determine whether we are walking with the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit, Love, will come with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The fruit that the Spirit provides when we are in step with Him is not for our benefit but for others.
When we look at the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, it is an all-or-nothing list.
“John, what do you mean by that?”
When we are in step with the Spirit, we will have all of the attributes listed; this is why it is called “fruit,” not “fruits.” I was confused about this issue earlier in my walk with Jesus.
Let’s look at the opposite of this in deeds of the flesh:
‘Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ‘ Galatians 5:19-21
When we look at the deeds of flesh, it isn’t an all-or-nothing list, as the fruit of the Spirit is. If we are not experiencing the fruit of the Spirit, we are hung up in one or more of the deeds of the flesh.
This is a very important caveat if we find ourselves outside the fruit of the Spirit; it has nothing to do with what is happening in the world, with the people around us, or our circumstances.
What is happening in this world does not surprise God. It is well-documented in the Bible what will happen in the times that we find ourselves in.
If you find this uncomfortable, this will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up; it will only get worse in this world.
But the good news is that with every minute that passes, we are getting closer to the return of Jesus. Amen!!
So what do we do with all of this?
We walk in step with the Spirit.
This will require a sacrifice on our part.
This will require that we die to ourselves daily.
When we walk in step with the Spirit, we WILL experience the fruit of the Spirit, but this requires us to change, NOT for the world around us to change.
When you walk in step with the Spirit, you may find that the world around you will change.
Your relationships will change.
The way you look at your work will change.
Not because these things change but because you changed by God’s hand.
Heavenly Father, please help me to experience the fruit of the Spirit. I know that this will require a change and sacrifice on my part.
I pray that You give me the strength and courage to deal with the sin in my heart.
I pray that my light will shine on Your behalf to the world around me and that You can use it to change the hearts of those with whom I come in contact.
Thank You for sending Jesus to us to lead us to the saving grace you offer us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
