Saturday, June 6, 2009
Galatians 5:22-23a The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
I live in a part of the country that is known as the "fruit belt" (southwest Michigan). Because of the moderate climate of the area (winters are relatively mild) there's a wide variety of fruit and produce that can grow here. Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apples, peaches, and more. As one drives along country lanes one can see orchards and vineyards everywhere. And no shortage of fruit stands at which one may stop to pick up the latest fresh fruit that is in season. Even though I wasn't around to see it, I know the orchards and vineyards didn't plant themselves. A farmer did this and gave them lots of tender loving care in order for them to produce so abundantly. Apart from the care they received, the fruit farms would soon become overgrown by weeds and produce a defective crop.
The same is true in our lives as Christians. Apart from the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts we'd be unable to produce good fruit for the Lord. Our hearts would be overgrown with the noxious weeds of evil works and produce the rotten fruit of our sinful nature. How blessed we are to have Holy Spirit as our Sanctifier. He uses the Gospel message of our Savior to equip and inspire us to produce good fruit (love for our Lord who redeemed us, acts of kindness for others, a forgiving spirit towards those who sin against us, faithfulness in carrying out our Christian calling, pure and holy thoughts, the desire to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world, and many more fruits of our faith). This was the reason the Spirit brought us to faith in Jesus. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph.2:10). Let us petition God the Holy Spirit to produce in us His beautiful fruits in ever increasing abundance!
Spirit of Adoption, Make us overflow
With Thy sevenfold blessing And in grace to grow.
Into Christ baptized Grant that we may be
Day and night, dear Spirit, Perfected by Thee!
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 229:6, 7)
