Devotional: February / March 2008

Fruits of the Spirit

The Lord has been speaking to me for some time now about the fruits of the Spirit.  Recently I found myself feeling discontent, unhappy, down, discouraged.  There was no particular reason for this so I had to examine what the problem was.  When I began to inquire of the Lord, I realized that I had begun to depend on the circumstances around me for my joy and peace.  That, of course, is completely contrary to the Word of God, because joy and peace are fruits of the Spirit.  I have the Spirit of God living in me, therefore joy and peace come from the inside and work their way out.  It matters not what’s going on around me.  Galatians 5:25 states, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”.  In other words, we were dead in our sin, but now we live because of the Spirit of God in us.  So why don’t we also walk in the Spirit that gives us life?  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is not law.” –Galatians 5:22-23. 

I’ve heard so many times statements like this: “Pastor Jones was preaching while hanging from the chandelier last night.  He must have been in the Spirit!”  And probably he was.  Goodness knows I wouldn’t be able to do that in the flesh!  And I promise I am not criticizing anyone’s preaching style.  Believe you me, I like a lively service!  But when was the last time you heard someone say something like this: “Did you see Sister Wilson last Sunday with that annoying little girl from across town?  That girl was in her Sunday School class and she smells, runs her mouth and disrupts the class.  And Sister Wilson was so kind and loving to her!  Surely she must walk in the Spirit!”  You see, of the two, the illustration that Biblically displays the fruit of the Spirit is the second one because the fruits of love, longsuffering, gentleness and goodness were displayed. 

I am determined this year to walk more in the Spirit than I ever have before.  I want to love people with God’s love; I want to have a faith that’s immoveable; I want to be at peace in my spirit no matter how much the world around me is going crazy.  And I definitely want joy that’s unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8).  In order to do that, I must continue to mortify this flesh (Romans 8:13) and feed the spirit man in me.  That’s the only way the fruits will grow.  Whatever you feed will live; what you starve will die.  Think about that. 

The fruits of the Spirit are in you, my friend.  What are you going to allow to grow?

Sonya