Monday, June 27, 2011

The Holy Spirit in Our Lives: Developing the Fruit of Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and More

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the "fruit of the Spirit" as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are qualities that the Holy Spirit will help us to develop in our lives as we allow Him to minister to us. The passage emphasizes that these qualities cannot be achieved through our own efforts or willpower, but rather they come from the Spirit. Each one of the nine qualities listed should be seen as a collective, working together to create a holistic spiritual growth.

Love, for example, will help us to gain a new perspective and look at others with compassion and sympathy, shifting our focus to what's best for them instead of what's best for us. Joy, even in dark circumstances, will be given to us by Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Peace will be given to us in the midst of turmoil and worries. Longsuffering, or patience, will help us to endure taunts and slander from others with patience and love. Kindness, which seems to be disappearing from our society, will be developed in us as we ask God to help us to be kinder towards others. Goodness, which is not popular today, will become a desire in us as we walk in the Spirit. Faithfulness in prayer, Bible study, and attending church will increase as we grow in the Spirit. Gentleness, which is important for our Christian walk, will be developed in us as we stand up for what we believe but in a gentle manner. Self-control, which is probably the most difficult thing to achieve, will be developed in us as we learn not to become angry, not to retaliate, not to over-indulge ourselves, not to complain, and not to allow discouragement to overwhelm us.

The phrase "Against such there is no law" in verse 23 highlights that these qualities are not externally imposed on us, but rather they come from within as a result of the Holy Spirit's work in us. Paul encourages us to pray and rely on God's strength to help us cultivate these qualities in our lives

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