FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (GALATIANS 5:22-26)

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (GALATIANS 5:22-26) REFLECTION Fruit of the Spirit is the theme for our reflection. Generally, a fruit is the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food. Figuratively, a fruit is the result of or consequences of one’s action. It is also the observable attributes…

Jean-Paul Agidi

Feb 6, 2024

3–5 minutes

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (GALATIANS 5:22-26)

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (GALATIANS 5:22-26)

REFLECTION
Fruit of the Spirit is the theme for our reflection. Generally, a fruit is the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food. Figuratively, a fruit is the result of or consequences of one’s action. It is also the observable attributes of a person or a thing. Fruit of the Spirit means attributes or observable results of a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. We shall reflect on the facts that walking in the Spirit produces the fruits of the Spirit in us.

Beloved in the Lord, having a relationship with the Holy Spirit and walking with the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in us. It is for this reason Paul admonished the Galatian Christians, “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. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25). Paul had hitherto highlighted or mentioned the attribute or fruit of a person living in the flesh when He wrote “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.” (Galatians 5:19-21). It is important to understand that before a person can produce the fruit of the Spirit, He or she must first have an encounter with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is when we have repented and made Jesus our Lord and Saviour that we are baptised with the Holy Spirit and can produce the fruit of the Spirit that overcomes the desires or fruits of the flesh.

Let us briefly reflect on the fruit of the Spirit.

Love is the mother of all Christian virtues therefore for us to be called the children of God we must possess the unconditional love of our Lord Jesus Christ.”We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 John 4:19-21) Love is an attribute of the Spirit of God and anyone who loves has the Holy Spirit at work in him or her and will certainly reflect the perfect image of Christ.

Joy and peace are the feeling of happiness and wholeness even in the face of persecution and challenges. Our joy or happiness and peace are not derived from the pleasures and circumstances of life or absence of war or disturbance but “…the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10). Which means that:… all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28). When the Spirit of God is with us we can still experience joy and peace even in challenging situations because we are assured that our “… redeemer lives,” (Job 19:25)

Forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all acts that can be achievable in the believer’s life when the Holy Spirit dwell in him or her. It means that because the Spirit of God lives in us we shall restrain ourselves from gratifying the desire of the flesh. Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) When the Spirit of the Lord dwells in us we shall exercise retrain, forbearance and self-control in following the sinful cravings of the flesh. Again, we shall remain kind and good to others and also be faithful to God and in our relationships with others.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “Fruit of the Spirt” We have discovered that walking in the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in us. Shalom.

PRAYER