Fruit to Bear and Share with Truth

What fruit aren’t you bearing?

Family, 

Truth be told many of us think bearing fruit is a misnomer, it’s not! See John 15. When we think of the Fruit of the Spirit some of us allow it to just be a scripture in Galatians 5:22-23; while others say “I am a work in progress.” The vast majority of the world would argue that they are indeed bearing fruit. The tagline is usually “I could’ve done it this way “but” I let the love of God show forth.” In reality the fruit of the Spirit is actually bearing evidence of Christ in your life.

How can we let the love of God show forth when he gave us love through Christ Jesus? That’s always been a question for me. God gave me this answer during morning prayer: When the fruit of the Spirit is operating there are certain characteristics from our old nature that subsides. When we truly understand “God is love,” then we have no problem with joy, peace, self-control, longsuffering, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, and  kindness. To be clear when you are operating in the laws of natural man (flesh) sin will be present but when operating in the fruit of the Spirit sin has no power or rule over these fruits - see Galatians 5:23b. Let’s look at the law (natural mindset) versus the fruit of the Spirit (new creature) below:

LAW                                       VS.                                    FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Immorality NASB (Repetitive - MSG)	Love
Impurity NASB (Loveless – MSG)	Love
Sensuality NASB (cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness – MSG)	Self-control
Idolatry NASB (trinket gods – MSG)	Faithfulness
Sorcery NASB (magic-show religion – MSG)	Peace
Enmities NASB (Paranoid loneliness – MSG)	Peace
Strife NASB (Cutthroat competition – MSG)	Gentleness
Jealousy NASB (All consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants – MSG)	Love
Outburst of anger NASB (A brutal temper – MSG)	Joy, Kindness
Disputes NASB (An impotence to love or be loved – MSG)	Longsuffering
Dissension NASB (Divided home and divided lives – MSG)	Longsuffering
Factions NASB (Small-minded and lopsided pursuits – MSG)	Gentleness
Envying NASB (the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into rival – MSG)	Longsuffering
Drunkenness NASB (Uncontrolled and Uncontrollable additions – MSG)	Self-control
Carousing NASB (Ugly parodies of community- MSG)	Goodness

Whew! After looking at all of that it truly makes me aware of how great and merciful God is considering He is Omniscient and really knows everything about us ~ see Psalm 139. Thankfully, He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, oh what a great love. We serve a mighty God.

As we meditate on the word of God in the book of Galatians 5:16-25 let’s remember that in Galatians 5:23b it says “against such there is no law.”  The commandments written before Christ are the law. For after Him there was grace and the two greatest commandments; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (intellect).  This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.  And the second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as (you do) yourself.  These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets. – Matthew 22:37-40 (AMP). 

Solomon concluded in the book of Ecclesiastes with this “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

It’s imperative to share the gospel and know God.

Be encouraged.

Your sister in Christ, Latoya