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Fruit of the Spirit
Andrea Lende • December 14, 2020
Galatians 5:22-23
Fruit of the Spirit
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Fruit-of-the-Spirit-enovlo
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,”
“Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].”
I am always in awe when I read about the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
As we seek the Lord and learn about Him, He touches our hearts and molds them perfectly to His.
He continues to put Wisdom into our hearts.
He puts the desire to do better and be better in our spirits.
We try.
We fail.
We try again.
When I read this list of the fruit of the Spirit today, I saw each one as either one I possess or one that I long to possess.
I could feel badly and ashamed that I do not have each one mentioned in our passage.
However, I am thankful to exhibit some.
The more time I spend with the Lord, the more the fruit grows.
And there are varying degrees of the fruit as well.
There are times I feel more loving toward others and times I do not.
It is then the Lord beckons me to pray for the infilling of more love.
I cannot come by it on my own.
I do not possess it on my own.
I cannot create it on my own.
Love comes from the Lord.
So, I take my needs to Him and ask Him to complete the work in me.
Once aware, we can pray the Lord’s Spirit will fill us with what we lack.
And magnificently, He does.
He puts love in our hearts where there wasn’t love.
He puts joy in our hearts when we have no joy.
He covers us in peace when the chaos seems overwhelming.
He puts kindness and goodness in our hearts and inspires compassion for others.
He puts a gentle spirit in our spirits.
And he helps us with self-control.
None of these things can be accomplished on our own.
I rely completely on the Lord and His power to change me.
I am far from perfection, but I can see that over time He is changing me.
Today I choose to spend time with the Lord and allow Him to continue to change my heart so I can be used more fully by Him.
May you find that the more time you spend in God’s presence will change you and the fruit of His Spirit will be present in all you do.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for bestowing Your generosity in spiritual gifts to Your people. Thank You for the fruit the Spirit provides in our lives. Thank You, Lord, for infilling my heart with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. May You continue to flood me with Your Holy Spirit so I can change and be molded by You. Forgive my shortcomings, Lord, and put a new heart in me. Help me be more sensitive to the work You desire to do in me and help me allow You to do it. Help me give every piece of my heart to You, Lord. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for enfolding me in Your love. Thank You for Your mercy. Help me love like You love, Father. Help me spread joy instead of despair. Help me be patient beyond my ability, Lord. May Your gentleness seep into my heart. And, Father, help me control my fears, anxieties, and anger. Please take all the negative that keeps me from doing Your perfect will and replace it with all Your goodness. I leave my burdens and my shortcomings at Your feet, Lord. May Your peace be upon me. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and continue to mold and shape your spirit with Mine.
Response: Help me be more like You, Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.