Abide in the Vine

We have talked about the Fruit of the Spirit for the past few months, and each week boiled down to the same ultimate principle. We would probably all agree that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control are important to have in our lives. We may even try to pursue some of them, but are we doing what is necessary to obtain them? What is the most effective, and really the only, way to grow spiritual fruit?

The Fruit of Gentleness

Gentleness seems to be more of a personality trait than anything. We all know some people who seem to be very gentle by nature, and many people who are not gentle at all. It really doesn’t seem to have as much to do with a person’s faith as it does their disposition. Is gentleness really something we all can and should have? Can those who are by nature harsh or rough become gentle?

The Fruit of Faithfulness

Faithfulness. It seems pretty straight forward. While it is not always practiced, it is generally seen as something that is important in all relationships. The actual definition of faithfulness as used in the New Testament is: conviction of truth (belief) regarding our relationship with God, and includes the idea of trust and fervor, which brings confidence. It also has a note of fidelity, (character of one who can be relied on). Matthew Henry defines it as: “fidelity, justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to others.” Basically, it just means faith and loyalty. Does that really require the Spirit? Isn’t faith something that happens when we believe, something we have or exercise ourselves?

The Fruit of Goodness

Being good is a fairly simple concept. There are a lot of people who “do good”, quite a few whom we would even call “good”. Goodness seems pretty common, even among other religions and those of no religion. In fact, it unfortunately seems more common among non-Christians. Is goodness really a fruit of the Spirit? Is it really something that requires God? Isn’t it something that just happens fairly naturally to most people? Aren’t all people basically good?

The Fruit of Kindness

Kindness is something that I think we would all agree is important, but we mostly encourage it in children and don’t often think of addressing it to adults. “Random acts of kindness” refresh our hope in humanity, but it is not something we actively pursue ourselves. Often, kindness is merely thought of as little more than being polite, but as with all virtues it goes much deeper. Kindness should come from the heart which can only be changed by God.

The Fruit of Patience

Patience is a virtue…I do not possess. I don’t know how many times I have said that, or heard others repeat it. Patience is difficult, and what is worse, it seems to require trials in order to acquire it. Patience is not natural to anyone. Watch a child who has to wait for…anything. It is not only something we have to learn, but it is also something we can only gain from God. The whole mentality of the world is that we can and should “have it NOW!” Even though in most things we can see that patience is the better way, for instance, waiting for the cake to bake all the way instead of taking it out too soon, or waiting for the coffee to cool before we drink it. Impatience usually “burns” us, one way or another. How can we gain more patience?

The Fruit of Peace

Peace is a popular topic in our world. People talk about having peace on earth, peace between nations, world peace. They flash the “peace” symbol to show they are in favor of peace or to encourage others to seek peace. But the world’s peace falls short. The world’s peace is merely a lack of conflict. But in a world of sinful beings, there will always be conflict. No two humans can be in any kind of relationship without reaching conflict at some point. We cannot expect a lack of conflict among countries and societies when there is no lack of conflict within our families and even within ourselves. That, I think, points to true peace and the cause of all conflict.

The Fruit Of Joy

Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is based on circumstances, but joy is based on posture and focus. Happiness is a lack of trouble, but joy is satisfaction, contentment and peace in the midst of trouble. True joy is based on God and His truth about Who He is and what He says about us. As with all virtues, joy is something that we should pursue and strive for, partly by correcting our perspective. But joy is also a fruit of the Spirit. It is a product of our walk with God. It is that aspect which I want to discuss.

The Fruit of Love

The Fruit of the Spirit is probably one of the best known topics in Christianity. It is a common theme for sermons, Sunday school, vacation bible school, etc. But I think few people really understand what the fruit of the spirit really means. Of course the nine fruit are things which we are supposed to possess, but how? These two verses come at the end of a chapter talking about the world/flesh vs. the Spirit. If we are believers we are commanded to live by the Spirit and not live or walk according to the flesh (that is our own desires or what the world says we should have/do.) We should live our lives based on the Spirit of God, being led by Him in all our thoughts and actions. Paul then lists specific “fruit” which prove the tree to which we belong; the tree of the flesh or the tree of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is proof of who we are. It is something that God grows in us, and naturally flows from a life that is rooted in Him. That is not to say that we should just sit back and let God do all the work. The Bible clearly tells us to pursue those fruit in different ways. The process is two-fold.