Daily Devotional- The Fruit of the Holy Spirit
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” – Galatians 5:22-25
Throughout scripture there is a common theme and metaphor used to depict believers: that of a tree. In both the New and Old Testaments, we see this picture as a way of expressing the health of our lives and, in turn, the effect that health has on the fruit our lives produce. In Galatians, Paul continues with this picture by outlining the nine different fruits that are produced in a life that lives with the Holy Spirit. This helps us see in greater detail the essence of Christ’s character and nature.
Probably the biggest lesson for us in this picture is that fruit is not something we overtly try to produce; fruit is simply the by-product of a healthy tree. As believers, our primary goal isn’t to try to be good people as much as it is to be spiritually healthy people, having roots under the surface that are firmly planted in God’s grace and truth, and in his house.