Day 28

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”  — GALATIANS 5:22-25

Jesus said to His disciples, “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” (John 15:16). Fruit is never for the benefit of the one who bears it, and fruit-bearing is not a badge of spirituality. It is always a means of serving others.

God doesn’t say He produces “flowers” of the Spirit, but the “fruit” of the Spirit. Flowers are lovely to look at, sweet to smell and they add colour to a dreary room, but they have little value beyond that. Fruit, however, is not for decoration. We don’t hang up a bunch of bananas to cheer up a room. Fruit is for eating. It is for satisfying the hungry and giving nourishment to the needy.

Christians exist for the benefit of others. Spiritual maturity can be measured in the contribution and input we bring to the lives of other people. To be like Christ is not to adopt a pious pose or to experience an inner serenity we don’t want disturbed. That only feeds ourselves and becomes a stumbling block to the real work of God in this world. To be like Christ is to get our hands, minds and hearts busy in the interests of others, and allow them to feed on the fruit the Spirit produces in our lives.

The action on every page of the Gospels is that of Jesus teaching, healing, comforting, and forgiving everyone from prostitutes, to tax collectors and even those who put Him to death. Always He worked for the benefit of others. 

Is there a river of love flowing out from your heart? A river of joy, of peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? These are the qualities Paul describes as “the fruit of the Spirit”. These express the work of Jesus which is to be reproduced in us for the benefit of others. Do our lives simply decorate our homes or are we exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit so that others are nourished? 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I want my hands to be a lot busier than they are. Show me where I can roll up my sleeves and get to work for You in serving others. Fill my heart with the fruit of the Spirit and allow me to pass it on to as many as You will. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: How has the fruit of the Spirit affected my interaction with others? Is there any of these qualities I feel lacking in, and if so, how can I turn that around?