The Fruit of the Spirit

It’s always been difficult for me to pass by a strawberry or peach stand without stopping. I’ve been known to pull the car off the road at the sight of wild blackberry vines and proceed to pick berries until my fingertips are stained with juice.

There’s something about fruit that is attractive – pleasing to the eye as well as to the taste, and it’s good for you. It's no wonder Paul uses the metaphor of fruit to describe the virtues the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a believer.

The fruit of the Spirit is a biblical term that sums up the nine virtues of a person living in accord with the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the works of the flesh. To indulge the flesh spells spiritual death. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit brings life. 

When Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit, he is not referring to a piece of fruit you might eat with your lunch. What Paul has in mind is what comes out of a person who has been filled with the Holy Spirit. Note that “fruit” is the word used here, not “fruits.” God does not pick and choose which ones we get; we get them all. The fruit comes as a whole package. All the characteristics of Christ will become evident in our lives, especially after entire sanctification.

Like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit doesn’t ripen overnight. It is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in us that produces these characteristics, but we are not idle benchwarmers in the process. We can help to cultivate this fruit in our lives through prayer, reading God’s Word, fellowship with other Christians, renewing our minds, and presenting ourselves daily as living sacrifices.

If you are in Christ, He is faithful to produce this fruit in you:

·      Love - genuine care for the good of the other, wanting the best for them

·      Joy - a pleasant contentment based on who Jesus is rather than circumstances

·      Peace - the presence of flourishing, wholeness, and delight

·      Patience - the state of remaining tranquil while awaiting an outcome

·      Kindness - our ability to show empathy for those in need or hurting

·      Goodness - interest in and compassion for the welfare of others

·      Faithfulness - the steadfast holding onto something or someone

·      Gentleness - the ability to control strength and exhibit calmness, tenderness, and humility

·      Self-control - the temperance of desires and mastery of passions

A life filled with the Spirit of God will produce fruit that is sweet and will draw people to God, not fruit that is sour and will turn people away.

It’s mid-August, and the crops are in full production. A few days ago, my dad was showing me his orchard and vineyard. He lovingly tends apple, peach, and pear trees, and a small grove of grapevines. He pointed out tree branches straining under the weight of the fruit, and vines filled with plump grapes. The harvest will result in delicious fresh fruit, apple butter, grape jelly, and juice, with which Dad will bless his family, church friends, and neighbors.

The joy of fruit being produced was evident in Dad’s demeanor. May the fruit of our lives bring such joy to our Father’s eyes. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23