Learning About Our Spiritual Fruits
You may be familiar with the spiritual fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23 , but how do they relate to the works of the flesh found in the verses right before it?
The Fruits And The Flesh
Many of us are familiar with the fruit of the Holy Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
What we may not realize is that this list is given in contrast to another found in verses 19-21. Among other things, the works of the flesh include
“impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, and drunkenness.”
Galatians 5:19-21 ESV
It’s easy to see that these two lists aren’t compatible.
Goodness and spiritual faithfulness certainly don’t line up with idolatry and sorcery.
Rivalries and divisions are not marked by kindness and gentleness.
Self-control does not mark the lives of those governed by sensuality, anger, and drunkenness.
Is It All That Bad?
God’s way of doing things and our selfish, self-centered pursuits have always been at odds.
We may think we’re “not all that bad.” We may never have been involved in sorcery and may have never touched alcohol. But who among us hasn’t been jealous or envious? And we’ve likely all be involved in strife, rivalry, dissension, and division of some sort.
According to the Meriam-Webster online dictionary, sensual means
…relating to or consisting in the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of appetite.
Merriam-Webster
At some point, we’ve all chosen to do something that gave us temporary enjoyment even though it didn’t line up with God’s best for us.
This doesn’t mean the things we enjoy are unspiritual and should be shunned. But they should be enjoyed as God intended. For example, I don’t believe God would have given us taste buds if He didn’t intend for us to enjoy our food. However, the Bible does speak against gluttony.
Judge Not, That You Be Not Judged
We may read the list of works of the flesh and readily identify others, but we must first examine our own lives.
Matthew 7:1-5 says,
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5 ESV
It is crucial that we recognize our own wrongdoing. After all, it is the recognition that we are sinners in need of the Saviour that points us to Jesus Christ. When we accept that He paid the price for our sin and receive the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life that He offers, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.
We accept this as truth because the Bible says this is what happens. It isn’t something we can fully comprehend this side of heaven.
Recognizing Our Spiritual Fruits
As maturing believers in Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit becomes more evident. We become more loving, more joyful, more peaceful. Our lives are marked by patience, goodness, and kindness. We become more faithful and gentle. And we exhibit increasing self-control.
It doesn’t happen immediately and we do struggle from time to time with one or more of the things on this list. After all, we may face unexpected health issues, the loss of a job, or strained relationships. We may contemplate the condition of world politics, military conflicts, and natural disasters and become overwhelmed.
But in the face of all of it, followers of Jesus Christ can know a peace and a confidence that surpasses all the turmoil and heartache.
We can have confidence that Romans 8:28 is true and that God Himself is working it all together for our good.
There’s a saying that was coined recently: God’s got this. I know it may sound trite—naïve even. But it isn’t. We can be confident that in the face of all of it, the Lord is at work, doing what only He can, accomplishing His plans and purposes.
In the face of our own sinfulness (remember that Romans 3:23 says that we’ve all sinned, and if we were honest, each of us recognized ourselves in the list I read earlier) and the state of the world, only God Himself can give us genuine, lasting joy, peace, patience, etc.
Developing Our Spiritual Fruits
As believers in Jesus Christ, we can ask that the fruit of the Spirit mature and ripen in our lives. We can also ask that, in gardening terms, this fruit go to seed and impact the lives of others. This has often been my prayer.
Over the years, I have personally seen kindness and gentleness win out over fits of anger that overtook me when my children were young. While I may have the occasional twinge of envy or jealousy, it’s fleeting. For the most part, I experience the peace and joy only God can pour out. Sadly, in days gone by, I was caught up in strife and division. And now, it is my heart’s cry that we would be patient and loving toward one another.
None of this is thanks to my own efforts. Instead, it is evidence of God at work within. Amazing!
How have you seen God at work in your life over the years?
How has God gifted you spiritually? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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