Tag Archives: fruit

Fruits of the Spirit – Galatians 5:16-26

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22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control… (Galatians 5:22-23)

We are so busy with our lives that we can often forget the importance of living our lives by the Holy Spirit. As in the verses above, the Holy Spirit imparts in us many excellent qualities and values that will bless us and those around us.

Sinful acts and desires only lead to unhappiness, darkness, even death.

They do not build you or others up. They act only to serve our selfish ambitions, and they will hold us back from being people of value who are achieving for Jesus.

Within the passages I noticed also a very interest analogy about law. If you consider acts that would be classed as law breaking acts, for example stealing, murder etc, then many of the attributes of a sinful nature are tied in closely with each act. Law breaking acts are a result of a sinful nature.

But a Spirit filled life is only full of good things. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. I honestly cannot think of one law breaking act that would be a result of one of these values.

23 cont… Against such things there is no law.

Living by the Spirit will give us the ability to live in harmony with Him, conducting ourselves in a way pleasing to Him, and doing the things that he desires from us.

Regular prayer and Bible study should be a part of our walk with the Lord to keep us focused on him and the fruit of the Spirit.

Prayer and Witness – Colossians 1:3-14

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There recently in many of my daily devotionals seems to be a common theme.  How we live our lives is one of the most important witnesses to the lost we can give.  In Colossians, we find them praying for their brother that he may have strength and wisdom.  Checkout this verse:

Colossians 1:10 – …And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God… (NIV).

Here they pray that their brother may live a life worthy of the Lord.  Not conforming to localised peer pressures, or becoming captive to sin, but living in the light and knowledge of the Lord that he may bear fruit.  His actions are a witness to those around him.

How this passage differs from previous sections on “imitating” God and living like him, is the emphasis on prayer.  It is a strong reminder that we cant live for him, or live like him without his help!  Go it alone and you will fail.  However if you have him with you at all times, you will bear fruit.

I am reminded of a verse in Revelation 22:1-3, …Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

3 No longer will there be any curse…

I can envisage that the crops and trees were growing and bearing fruit as they were feeding from the living water flowing from the throne.  We as Christians can bear fruit by drinking the living water, in reading the word, in prayer and in living for him (you cant pick one of them, they are linked).