As Christians, when we set our own selfish ambition aside and ask God to rule our lives, our character begins to emulate that of Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we become more like Him and less like our self. One of the most obvious ways to see this change in our lives is to look at the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
“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.”
List of the Fruit of the Spirit
As we grow closer to Christ, we will:
- Show love to the unlovely.
- Pass along God’s joy to the brokenhearted.
- Impart peace to those experiencing turbulent times.
- Demonstrate patience in frustrating situations.
- Show kindness to everyone you meet, especially strangers and those who are unfriendly.
- Reveal God’s goodness through your actions and thoughtful deeds, especially when negativity saturates the environment in which we live.
- Walk in God’s faithfulness during times of confusion or uncertainty.
- Live with gentleness when the people surrounding us seem abrupt, rude and aggressive.
- Model self-control when temptation and instant gratification rule our materialistic and consumeristic culture.
Though the world elevates independence and a self-serving attitude, such characteristics lead us to loneliness and heartbreak. God has called us to His Spirit. The opposite is unlovely, brokenness, frustration, unfriendliness, negativity, uncertainty, rudeness, temptation, and the like. Is that what we really desire for our lives? God’s intentions are much more beautiful. He’s instilled the Fruit of the Spirit into us. Let’s call upon that power and emulate the character of something majestic by setting our own ambitions aside and pursuing something greater than ourselves by Being the Fruit of His Spirit.
