Galatians 5:22, 23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The Lord has called us to live a life with fruits. By abiding in Him we can live and give fruits to glorify God and to help others. The Lord who gave Himself for us helps us to live a life pleasing to Him. The fruit of the spirit is a bundle, all are interrelated and if our life is controlled by the Holy Spirit, he will help us.
God’s love: John 3:16 “
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, “
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” We have to love the Lord our God with all our heart. If we do it will be easy to love our neighbors. Matthew 5:44 “ But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,…” This is true love. On the Cross Jesus has set an example for us by forgiving the people who persecuted Him. I John 4:7, 8, 18 ‘Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. I Corinthians13 gives us a detailed study of love. In verse 7, ‘
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.’ The Lord Jesus Christ Suffered on the Cross and bore everything patiently because of His love.
The Lord wants us to be joyful in all circumstances. Jesus who bore the Cross, considered it to be joy. Hebrews 12:2 ‘…
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. King David found the joy in meditating His law, His Word, His commandments and also in going to the House of the Lord. Psalm 119:92, 143 and 122:1 ‘If your law had not been my
delight,
*I would have perished in my affliction. Trouble and anguish have found me out,
*but your commandments are my delight. I was glad when they said to me,
*“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Habakkuk says that whatever the circumstances be “
I will rejoice in the Lord”. Nehemiah 8:10 ‘…
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
John 14:27 ‘
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’
Jesus in our hearts, we get peace. He is a God of peace. I Corinthians 14:33 ‘
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. Philippians 4:6,7 ‘ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ Jesus died on the Cross to give us peace.
Jesus patiently bore everything on the Cross. I Peter 2:23 ‘
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.” James 1:19 ‘…
let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;’ Matthew 5:39 ‘But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.
But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. We need patience in our walk and talk.
We have to show kindness to others. In the life of Joseph, he showed kindness to his brothers even when he knew all the things they did against him. He favored them and protected them in times of need. The Bible says that the Lord was with Joseph. We can get this quality only when we have the Lord with us.
Genesis 39:21 ‘But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Kindness is favor. Psalm 18:25 ‘
With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;…’ Let us show kindness to all around us.
In the life of
Ruth, her goodness was appreciated by all who came in contact with her. Ruth 3:10 ‘And Boaz said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was telling the multitude how to live a life filled with goodness which will glorify the Father.
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘
Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ‘ We must have faith, a complete faith on God, so that we can do great things for God. A woman who suffered from discharge of blood for 12 years came and touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment and was healed. Jesus said,”Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well.” How is our faith?
Genesis 19 tells us how Abraham was so gentle and good with Lot. He let Lot choose the best land to live in. Matthew 5:5 ‘Blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’ Psalm 37:15 ‘But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.’ I Peter 3:4 ‘
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.’ Proverbs 14:29 ‘Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding…’ Proverbs 15:18 ‘..he who is slow to anger quiets contention.’ Proverbs 16:32 ‘
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,…’
Self control is very important for a Christian. Our body and mind has to be controlled by the Spirit. Galatians 5:24, 25 ‘
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Sprit, let us walk by the Spirit.” James 1:15 ‘Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin.’ Sin separates us from God. We have to come out of the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions which are not from the Father but it is from the world. Let us search our hearts in the light of the Word. When we ask the Lord he will help us to have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, so that we can bear much, more fruits for Him.
MEMORY VERSES:
Galatians 5:22, 23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Shared by Sis.Vijaya Senthil
03-13-2015
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