Galatians 5:16-26
Verse 23 …gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
This is one of those lists in the Bible which many of us learned as children. We may have sang songs and had artwork or posters on our walls so we could memorize them. While this is a great practice we can’t leave our understanding of this list to our childhood stories and songs. We need to grasp what it means to have the Spirit in us and how that should reveal itself in our lives.
Just as with the list we talked about yesterday, the nice list – otherwise known as the Fruit of the Spirit – is also filled mostly with items which involve others. While society would have us believe self-love is of utmost importance it is not a Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. When Paul began this list he knew he had to start with love, not the kind of love the world has but the kind of love we can know through the Spirit of the Lord.
The great thing about this list is there are no bounds to what it can do. While the other list in this passage is full of things which bring only temporary satisfaction and then leave us feeling empty, the items on this list have a way of making us feel alive. Things like love, joy, peace and the rest from the list don’t drain us of our energy because these are a result of our relationship with the Father.
The things on this list also breathe life into revival because they build godly community and when the world sees the relationships of that community some will start asking questions as to what is going on with these people. Just as the people in Jerusalem on the Pentecost after the first Easter wondered what was causing these people to be speaking in their own, varied native languages, the people of our day will begin seeing differences between us and those of the world when we are acting through the power of the Spirit.
The thing we need to ask ourselves is, “How bountiful are these fruit in our lives?” Are we a people known for our loving as God would love –not in the world’s view of love which allows sin to abound without a world? Are we known for our peace? Again, this is not peace like the world thinks of peace, this is an underlying sense of God’s faithfulness and control. This joy is not like the world’s take on happiness but it’s the only response available to us to express the gratitude we have for all He does for us.
Making It Personal
Are the Fruit of the Spirit evident in your life? Are there some which you feel stronger in? Which ones do you feel you struggle with?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you have any of this fruit in your life? Which one do you see the most in your life? Which one do you see the least?
Closing Prayer
Father, we repent of not seeing this list as important as it is. Give us hearts which are rich soil for Your Spirit’s work so we can bear great fruit for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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