I Can't Keep Doing It

To what are we referring? Consistently, day in and day out being ONLY loving, kind, gentle, patient and peaceable, to name a few. Perhaps you can do it for a time. But what about the 7th time your wife or child (or anyone close to you) vents their pain at you after a difficult day? Okay, the 10th time? They may snap at you about leaving the toilet seat up (that could be valid). Yes, even for those we love dearly, our human strength inevitably fails us.

We can’t keep it up and God knows it.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25 New King James Version).

Do you have any challenges in always living out those wonderful attributes? Which ones?

You’re not alone. Just before that amazing list of the nine divine fruits (nine meaning divine completion), we read that we ought to walk in God’s Spirit so as not to give in to our flesh. Our flesh opposes God’s Spirit and produces the bad fruit we see everywhere in the world and within ourselves. The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of God’s Spirit (the creator of the universe). When we become His children, His Spirit living within us allows us to produce His fruit in our lives. That’s amazing.

You may notice that these nine fruits not only make our lives better but also for everyone else in our circle of influence, including our loved ones. This shouldn’t surprise us since God is all about people and relationships. Imagine a world where everyone walks in His Spirit and always manifests these fruits. It’s His good fruit that draws all of us to Him. Do any of you find it fascinating how God tells us plainly about the fruit of His Spirit in the Bible.? Clearly, God wants us to get to know Him and His character. His actions proven through the life of Jesus certainly reveal them. By listing them for us, God wants us to be consciously aware and to recognise His attributes. We may struggle with our flesh opposing His Spirit but we can recognise when we get it wrong. But God doesn’t leave us alone in the struggle.

I want to read you another Scripture. In it, we find the word virtue. Do you know what that means?

Virtue -

1. a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action

   a. virtue, moral goodness

2. any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity

   
   

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1-11 New King James Version).

Notice how many of the fruits of the Spirit he also mentioned: peace, self-control, perseverance - patience, kindness and love. God used Peter here to give us the answer to our struggle, we need God’s divine power which we access by increasing our knowledge of Him. In other words, spending time with and getting to know Him, personally, one on one. This knowledge releases us from our limited thinking and abilities. The more we know Him and His amazing love and goodness, the more we will allow Him to flow out of us. Why? Because it’s His fruit flowing, His strength carrying us, we’ll rely on Him because we know we have to. Remember, unlike us, God never slumbers or sleeps. He has everlasting energy and resources, He can always keep going, no matter what.

The result is an abundant life for us, free from striving to do it well in our own weakness. As His Spirit flows out of our mouths, our actions, our attitude, our heart, we become a blessing to others, starting with our own loved ones. The beauty is, we give out what He is giving us, so there is no lack. Our part in this, increase our knowledge of Him. Cooperative with Him and let Him flow out. He tells us the fruits we’re aiming for. When we choose to add them to our faith, He can multiply and empower us to become more like Him. As always, we have a choice to make. Choosing God’s way will strengthen our relationships firstly with Him, then those around us.

A Revelation

In addition to encouraging us to choose to know God more, it occurs to me God is not looking to simply use us for His purposes. He doesn’t see us as a tool to wield and control. He invites us to work with Him to build His kingdom, starting with our family and friends. The revelation is He loves you and me, truly loves us. The fruit of the Spirit, His Spirit is firstly also for us. They are who He is and He wants to remind us today, His fruits are also for us.

• LOVE - He sent Jesus to prove it so we could come back to Him.

• JOY - Jesus endured the cross for the joy of having a relationship with you and me. It brings Him joy.

• PEACE - He gives us His peace by reconciliation through Jesus.

• PATIENCE (LONGSUFFERING) - He understands our struggles and waits for us to truly know Him.

• KINDNESS - He is always so kind to us, even when we don’t deserve it. The world would suggest this is a weakness. Nonsense. How is it weak to be kind to someone treating you so poorly? That’s powerful.

• GOODNESS - He only desires good for us, which is always to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus and the blessings that brings.

• FAITHFULNESS - He is faithful to us even when we fail Him. He will complete the work in us.

• GENTLENESS - Jesus, the Word, Himself said, “I am gentle…” (Matthew 11:29). God is gentle to those He loves.

• SELF-CONTROL - He never loses control of His emotions. He has the ultimate control over all creation.

Be encouraged and strengthened today. Your hope remains, always in Him. Do not allow circumstances, any circumstances to rob you of His peace. Allow Him to multiply it day by day. He loves us, He is not finished with us yet. Let go of any failings, give them to God, confess any sin and be set free. Let His fruit out and watch what He does, starting with you and your household.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.