PRAYER + PRAISE
Walking in the Spirit - the Fruit of the Spirit
- Adam Cole // April 23, 2009
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. —Galatians 5:22-23
Jesus told His followers that He would leave them a helper, the Holy Spirit. Those that come to have faith in Jesus Christ are aware that it is this Spirit that works in them to overcome the flesh and be obedient to the will of God.
It is this Spirit, not the law, which Paul points out to the Galatians as their center-point to God-centered living. There is no benchmark for righteousness, Paul explains, but there are certain fruits (of the Spirit) that will reflect the way the spirit is indwelling in each believer. The fruit of the Spirit is ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, as stated in the passage above.
The essence of this fruit-bearing process is walking in the Spirit. We can infer two things from this process: a.) that our growth as Christ-followers is a constant walk, that as we get deeper into His Word and let Him soak deeper into our souls, He speaks more clearly to us and does His perfect work more abundantly in us; b.) that we are to give our lives and decisions over to the Spirit and not try to work for righteousness, but let it be a natural process due to the Holy Spirit and not ourselves.
May we then walk in the Spirit and grow in His eternal Spirit, continuing on in a manner and lifestyle that is exemplifying of the goodness and glory of God.
Praise: That the Lord gives us the Spirit in order to bear fruits equitable to His essence.
Prayer: That we submit to the Spirit as the indwelling on Him in us to let these special fruits come to be.
Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we thank You for today, as every day. We thank You that you have called us into a walk of life that allows us to be godly children of you. May we cloak ourselves with the Spirit, in order to see the fruit that You take joy in watching grow in our souls and around this earth. All for Your glory, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.