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Do you have any favorite fruits? Perhaps you like apples or bananas. Or maybe you like kiwis or grapes. For myself, I like oranges. Fruits are excellent sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial things our bodies need. We need to eat a number of fruits for our daily needs. They help our body cleanse itself through antioxidants and other compounds like that. Plus, they taste so good! I don’t know about you, but honestly, I don’t eat enough fruit (I need to change that).
Did you know the Bible also talks about fruit? Genesis, the Psalms and Proverbs, the gospels, epistles, and even Revelation all talk about fruits in relation to different things. Fruits can be likened to words, people, or actions. Jesus talks about fruit, and so does the Apostle Paul. The fruits Paul talks about are the “fruits of the spirit”. I’m sure you’ve heard of these before, but if not, let’s look at them again.
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
All of these things: love, joy, peace, patience, and so on, are truly things we should strive to develop and practice as believers in Christ. Let’s think about each fruit and see how it applies to our life of faith.
Love
Love is one of the central themes when you look throughout the Bible. God loved His creation so much that he sent Jesus to atone for our sins on the cross, so we can receive eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus also said that when we love God and himself (Jesus), then we will keep their commandments. Jesus told us to even love our enemies. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s hard to love others who harm or have harmed you in some way. Yet if we look at how Christ Jesus lived his life, he loved everyone he talked to – even those who nailed Him to the cross! We are reminded by Paul in Colossians to put on our new self in Christ.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12, 17
We should love others as Christ and God have loved us (1 John 4:11). Even though it may be difficult at times, we should still strive to have the love of Christ and God in our hearts as we carry out our life of faith in obedience to their words. So, let us love one another with our words and actions, and let us show our love for God and Christ Jesus by understanding their words and keeping their commands.
Joy
What gives you joy? Is it winning a game? Being around close friends and family? Or maybe some hobby? There are plenty of things in this world that can give us joy for a while, but that fades. What can give us lasting joy?
God promises eternal life for those who believe in His words and keep His commands. Think about it – eternal life. Living forever. No more death. Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? When I read about God’s promise and believe in it, I have that joy of knowing God keeps all His promises. But what about when things get difficult? It’s difficult to have joy then, right? In the Bible, we are also encouraged to count those hard times as joy, too. The apostle James reminds us that there is joy to be found in rough times for the sake of Christ.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4
How does it feel when you’re under fire? It’s certainly difficult to think of those hard times as “joy”, but if we are experiencing those hard times because of the Word, then it is a blessing. Jesus also reminds us of this in his “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:10-12
We should remember that our greatest joy is not found in the riches or pleasures of this world, but in God and His word. The lasting joy God gives is found in the fulfillment of His promises, and when Revelation 21 is completely fulfilled then our joy is made complete.
Peace
Peace – that idea of no more war, or fighting, or struggle – is something we all desire. In the world, nations desire peace with other nations. They sign peace treaties so that war ends, and people can prosper. Also, many people search for inner peace, peace of mind and spirit, through things like meditation or yoga, or they follow this religion or that one. While those things can give a feeling of peace and wholeness, are they lasting feelings? If they aren’t, then where can we find lasting peace?
Jesus preached peace (Ephesians 2:17) and called believers to be peacemakers as well (Matthew 5:9). God is a God of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). What is this peace that God gives? It’s the true peace of salvation given through Jesus’s blood he shed on the cross.
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:20
This is a peace that only comes from God and Jesus. The world cannot give it just as Jesus told his disciples in John 14:27. Even though this world has its troubles, and as believers we will have troubles come due to the word, we can have full assurance and faith in God and Jesus, and in their promises. So, as Peter wrote in his first letter, let us turn away from our own desires and seek the true peace God gives through His word (1 Peter 3:11).
Patience
Patience is something that’s difficult for us to have sometimes. I work with little children as a teacher and those kids test my patience daily. If you have kids of your own, I’m sure you understand this. Some days I have seemingly an endless amount of patience, and other days I don’t. Within our life of faith, what role does patience play?
Patience helps us endure those difficult times. Think of how the disciples were beaten, imprisoned, and persecuted for the gospel of Christ. During those times, they didn’t complain, but patiently endured all things so others could come to know Jesus. For us as believers today, we must develop that kind of patience to help us when others persecute us, or when we try to evangelize, and people don’t listen. More importantly, we must have the patience to wait for the prophecies God has spoken to be fulfilled. God promised to come down to earth when all is said and done (Rev 21:1-6). If we have that promise in mind, then let us remember what the writer of Hebrews says to encourage us:
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:11-12
Kindness
This is something all people should show one another, whether they’re religious or not. For Christians though, even more so as we are not our own, but we belong to God. Kindness should stem from love, and in 1 John 4, we read that if we love God then we will love others. In Colossians 3, Paul reminds us of these kinds of qualities we should have as we put on our “new selves” in Christ.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”
Colossians 3:12
Jesus says that God’s word is like yeast that is put into flour until it works through the whole dough (Matthew 13:33). Yeast changes the dough and makes it rise up, likewise God’s Word should change us from the inside, so we are a new person. That means we should change our minds, hearts, words, and actions to reflect God’s Word and His love for us to the world. As the yeast works over time to change the dough, we know God’s Word changes us, our spirits, over time to resemble our Creator.
Bearing Fruits in Season
We looked at the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness. These won’t come right away, nor will they come easily. Anyone who’s done farmwork or gardening knows it takes time to raise crops. They need to tend to their fields daily, remove weeds and any unwanted pests, make sure the soil is well-watered, and get enough sunlight. Spiritually, we are like a field for God. We must tend to our spirits daily by studying God’s Word and putting our faith into action. By spiritually maintaining ourselves, we can bear these fruits. Let us work hard to spiritually maintain our hearts and bear the Fruits of the Spirit and glorify God.
Written by Kenny
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