FAITHFUL AND FRUITFUL (GALATIANS 5:13-23)

Jul 28, 2023

3–4 minutes

The theme for our reflection is faithful and fruitful. To be faithful means to be loyal and to be fruitful means to be productive or produce good or helpful results. The fruitfulness in our deliberation refers to characters that are borne out of the Spirit of God and are pleasing to God. To be faithful and fruitful means when we are loyal to God we shall be spiritually and morally productive through the power of the Holy Spirit. We shall deliberate on the fact that walking faithfully with the Lord will enable us to be fruitful.

Dear friend, walking faithfully with the Lord will enable us to be fruitful. We are greatly encouraged and admonished by Paul to walk with or by the Spirit as our sign of faithfulness to God and the Spirit will enable us to be fruitful to the glory of God. “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:16-17, 22-23). It is impossible to walk with or have a relationship with Jesus if we are still living in sin or are faithful to the flesh and worldly desires. It takes repentance and regeneration to live a life of faithfulness to God and be made fruitful by the Holy Spirit. It is only those who are faithful to God who will bear fruit through their walk with the Spirit. It is, for this reason, Jesus said “said to His faithful disciples that “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) It takes our relationship with Jesus and our faith in Him to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be fruitful. Dear friend, do you have a relationship with Jesus? Are you faithful to God in obedience to His word in your daily life? It is only through these means that you will be granted access to be fruitful through your walk with the Holy Spirit

Paul cautions us against the desires of the flesh which are not pleasing to God and also lead to a fracture in our relationship with Him. In other words, our faithfulness to the flesh will lead to unfruitfulness. It is for this reason Paul wrote that “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21).

In summary, we have reflected on the theme ” Faithful and Fruitful” We have underscored the fact that walking faithfully with the Lord will enable us to be fruitful therefore pleasing Him and maintaining our relationship with Him.

PRAYER

1. Let pray to have a personal relationship with Jesus through repentance and regeneration.

2. Let us prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our even as we remain faithful God.

3. Let us pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to overcome the temptations and desires of the flesh.

Holy Spirit, may You guide and make us fruitful even as we remain faithful to God through the obedience of His Word. Amen