More Fruit

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Gal 3:5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.  (NLT)

Galatians 5: 5 - 6 says 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. (NLT)


So, what fruit do you see in your life?  


Yesterday's post asked that question.  


Recently I took a Myers-Briggs personality assessment.  I discovered some things about myself I didn’t know, but I knew who I was for the most part.  


But those assessments don’t answer the question, what fruit do I see in my life? 


Gal 5: 22 - 23 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!


Love - Agape love - A self-sacrifice love that doesn’t expect anything in return. 


Joy - The realization that you have God’s favor and grace in your life.


Peace - To have wholeness and harmony with God and others.  Or in other words, to not be at war. 


Patience - To wait longer before indulging our passions.


Kindness, gentle integrity, or not getting trapped in judging others.


Goodness - Uprightness of heart and life that is seen in your actions. 


Faithfulness - You are trustworthy because of your confidence in God and His eternal faithfulness.


Gentleness - You are strong, in your weaknesses, because you persevere without giving up 


Self-control - Self-control means you resist the urge to indulge sensual desires that are sinful.  


Most followers of Jesus like to tell me that they are good at a few of these, but not all.  

This is the truth.  But Paul isn't offering a list to choose from.  He is saying that all of these qualities should be evident in our lives.  Sure some may be easier than others, but we shouldn't ignore any of them.  


Take the time to consider each of these in your life.  Which ones are you good at?  Which ones do you struggle with? 


PRAY:  Dear Jesus, I ask that the Holy Spirit work on my life to produce the fruit You desire from me every day.  In Jesus' Name, I pray.  AMEN 


Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash

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