What Is The Fruit Of The Spirit?
The fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Followers of Jesus are people whose lives are marked by the fruit of the Spirit - not some, but all. This is a life with the Spirit. When it comes to the fruit of the Spirit, it's helpful to understand that the fruits are not a means to an end, nor the end. The fruits are the natural overflow of life with Jesus.
In John 15:4-5, Jesus says, 'Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.'"
Remaining in Jesus means to be with Jesus, and in doing so, followers of Jesus become shaped by Him to live like Him. How do followers of Jesus remain in Him? Simply put, by spending time with Him. The more time you spend getting to know who Jesus is and the more you listen to what He has to say, the more you become like Jesus.
But, following Jesus also means following alongside others. Jesus is always inviting people to come, see, know, love, do, go, share. So, with Jesus' friendship, the Spirit's help, and community, you begin to become more like Jesus, who is the perfect embodiment of the fruits of the Spirit.
Thinking again about the fruit of the Spirit, ask yourself these questions:
When have I experienced God's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?
Am I daily spending time in Scripture with what God has to say?
Am I building a community where I and others together discover and do what God says?
Are the people in my life encountering the presence of the Holy Spirit by the fruit present in my life?
How can I encourage someone today by acknowledging fruit in their life?
The more time you spend with Jesus with a community of those walking in His direction together, the more space you cultivate for the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in your life.