Saturday, January 6, 2024

Excursis on Fruit of the Spirit

 19The  acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5

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When I was a younger man I used to take the family on camping trips especially in the fall.  We used to like to go to a camp ground outside of Hendersonville near one of the many apple orchards there- and pick apples.   There were apples on the tree that you knew were good.  But there were also apples on the ground.  A few of these apples had just fallen, but there were rodents and birds that especially liked the fallen fruit- so you just didn't pick the fallen fruit- it was decaying and damaged and would not taste as fresh or good. 
So Paul was saying there are two different kinds of fruit from the way we live.  The acts of the flesh- are basically decaying, temporary, rotting fruit.  It may seem easy to do and get, but it is not what we really want in the end.  But then there are the fruits of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control.  There is no law that says these are wrong, and there also is no law that can make you- love or have joy, or have peace, etc.  It would indeed be legalistic to say "you have to have peace in your life."  Yet we all want that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. We also don't want to jettison the law altogether    (otherwise we would not know the acts of the decaying flesh were wrong).  But no law can make us have the fruits of the Spirit, but the Spirit can make these fruits grow in our lives.  So be filled with the Spirit!  Do not blaspheme, grieve, or quench the Spirit of God- but rather be open to the Spirit coming into your life and working through you.  Then when you have this love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control- you know it is not something you can make yourself do by trying harder.  Rather- we develop it by simply abiding in God the Holy Spirit, and letting His life-giving self flow into our hearts.  
    

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