bearing fruit
Contrasting with ‘work’ is the
metaphor of bearing fruit. The fruits of the Spirit occur as a consequence of
really living and walking in and with the Spirit of God. Jesus said He is the vine, we are the
branches—we must be connected for the fruit of His Spirit to be produced. Unlike the works of the flesh, (where force
has been applied which moves us away from God), the fruits of the Spirit are
produced from the life of Jesus operating within us.
The works of the flesh are self-centered, seeking to
satisfy one’s own physical and emotional desires. Self-centeredness is destructive to
relationships because the needs and interests of others will be viewed as less
important than my own. This is true not only with the obvious, like fornication
or murder, but can be seen in operation under a “spiritual” guise as well. “Good” or “Christian” works of the flesh may
appear quite innocent, but sometimes right under the surface is a hefty dose of
selfish ambition, jealousy, and dissention.
If you are becoming impatient or contentious with people who you think
aren’t “doing enough”, or if you are
jealous of people who are doing a "better" job, or more than you, then there will
likely be dissension rather than unity—a work of the flesh.
The fruits of the
Spirit, on the other hand promote healthy relationships through healthy
thoughts, words and actions which stem from genuine love, and a humble
understanding of self and forgiveness.
Looking at the fruit of the Spirit list, how many of
these are cultural norms?
Love: a profoundly tender, affectionate attachment
which considers the other as more
important
than self
Joy: calm delight, great gladness
Peace: quietness, rest, oneness
Patience: long and patient enduring of provocation,
trouble or injury, forbearance, fortitude,
longsuffering,
to abstain from enforcing a personal right,
Gentleness:
moral excellence in character and demeanor, usefulness
Goodness: the doing of good, active goodness or
kindness, virtue
Faith: conviction of the truthfulness of God,
reliance upon Christ for salvation, constancy in
what
is professed
Meekness: gentleness and humility
Temperance: self-control
If you want to take your “spiritual
temperature”, look at both today’s fruit of the Spirit list and yesterday’s
works of the flesh list, and put a mark by the attributes which mark your daily
(or weekly) life. Are you living
according to your sinful nature or are you walking and bearing fruit in truth, according
to the Spirit?
Read
and Pray: Ephesians
5:8-10, John 15:1-6, Colossians 3:12-17, Romans 8:1-4
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