Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The Holy Spirit’s influence in an individual’s life is obvious if that individual has the Spirit of God dwelling in them and yields to Him. The most important evidence of the Spirit’s work in the life of a believer is the production of fruit in their lives. Indeed, as the Lord Jesus would put it, “…you shall know them by their fruit.” (Matthew 7:16). The fruit of the Spirit, therefore, ought to be the Christian’s highest pursuit. We must seek to grow in all these nine attributes that are presented to us in the text above.
In this portion of Scripture, the apostle Paul is contrasting two different kinds of lives – one yielded to the flesh, and another yielded to the Spirit. The deeds of the flesh, Paul says, are obvious and they include, “…sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” (Galatians 5:19-21). He then goes ahead to warn the Galatians, and us by extension, that those who do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God. On the other hand, the Spirit-led life produces the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
The question then that each of us should ask is: How can I produce this fruit in my life? To be sure, it is the Spirit that produces the fruit in us and our responsibility therefore is to yield our lives to Him or, as the apostle Paul puts it, to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). We do not need more of the Holy Spirit in our lives since God has given His Spirit in full measure to us. What we need to do is to submit and surrender more of our lives to the Spirit of God. That way, we will bear fruit, much fruit, and fruit that will last (See also John 15:1-11).
Reflections
1. How does your life measure against the nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit?
2. What area(s) of your life have you not yet yielded to the Holy Spirit?
3. What things in your life act as obstacles that hinder you from walking in step with the Spirit?
