How’s your day going so far? Perhaps you just rolled out of bed. Maybe you have been up since the crack of sunlight. Whatever the case may be, may it be a glorious day with the Son shining down on you.
Folks, I am going back to the fruit of the Spirit for some more teaching. There’s so much to be gleaned from the passages found in Galatians. It’s not often we can glean from fruit. It usually takes a lot of fruit to make one little glass of juice. I know, I’m stretching it, aren’t I?
As a review, here are the passages we have been studying from Galatians 5:19-23.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Notes from my Bible Study Commentary
“The fruit image often refers to good works and does not imply passivity. Virtues can and should be actively pursued. Paul used fruit imagery, however, to emphasize the Spirit’s role in the production of these virtues in a believer’s life. As we are active in following the Spirit, He, Jesus, not the law, produces these and other virtues.
Paul’s list stresses character and relationships.
As Paul said elsewhere, the law is needed to regulate ungodly life. The virtuous – those described by verses 22 and 23, go above requirements of the law, and so are not obligated to live by it.”
Here’s something else I think about when I read these passages. When we break the law, it usually costs us money, relationships, other things, or people who are valuable to us. If we allow the fruit of the Spirit to fill us, we enjoy love, peace with others, joy, happiness, etc. These things do not stress us out. We don’t have to worry about looking back. Our focus can be on things that produce the fruit of the Spirit. Producing fruit is what the Lord wants us to do.
So, what’s the next step in this equation? That, my friends, you will have to find out tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s pray and seek the Lord.
Father, may everyone seek the fruit of the Spirit today. It is exciting to know there are no laws against love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. As the song says, “you ain’t gonna steal my joy, devil!” May we desire to be more like your Son, Jesus Christ. In His name, I pray all these things, Amen.
In His Service
The Teaching Lady
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