Photo: Paul Writing His Epistles by Valentin de Boulogne – Blaffer Foundation Collection, Houston, TX, Public Domain
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:1–23)
I wonder what it was like for Paul on his missionary journeys. He must have felt the pain of separation with the huge gulfs of geography between the new churches springing up; he was unable to visit them all and he certainly didn’t have the immediate updates we enjoy from friends and family across the world with our video chats and social-media updates. But Paul knew the secret weapon for true change in his new charges – Christ dwelling in them.
Paul strongly urges the church at Rome to live out of the new self; that which is inhabited by the Holy Spirit. He longs, as he says in verse 1, that they would not harbor the secret desire to sin because they hold to God’s assurances of forgiveness (St Augustine’s, “Lord, grant me chastity, but not yet”). Nor should they be slaves to sin – ruled by what they crave. But rather he desires that they would offer themselves – their souls and our bodies – to God as instruments of grace. Living lives transformed.
Paul uses the word for fruit in verse 22 (above). When we die to sin and don the clothes of Christ, we reap the fruit of holiness, which leads to eternal life. Holiness, our robes washed pure and clean. Holiness, desiring God’s will and living in his ways. Holiness, ushering in the life of the kingdom of God.
We all have our own domains that we can either submit to the Lord or keep tightly within our grasp. When we relinquish our rights, whether in the big questions such as where we’ll live, or in the smaller but daily issues such as will we bless or will we curse, we bear the fruit that the Lord grows in us. May this life be seen in us today.
For reflection: “Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise” (Frances Ridley Havergal).
Photo: Tyler Neyens, Fruit of the Spirit Fire Tree, Creative Commons
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–26)
In contrast to the false teachers who wanted to place the Galatians under rules and regulations, Paul wants them to live in step with the Spirit. As they depend on the indwelling Spirit, he produces lasting fruit.
Continuing in the list of the fruit of the Spirit (from last week), God is faithful, and helps us by setting this virtue within us. When we keep on loving those whom we find difficult; when we pray earnestly for the persecuted church; when we give abundantly from our stores of time, talent and money, we are faithful. When I think of faithfulness, a few women in their seventies and eighties come to mind. They no longer can engage in travel and ministry as they once did, but they pray daily not only for their locality but for international situations. I imagine that God, when they get to heaven, will lovingly reveal what their prayers have wrought.
Paul in this list probably means gentleness to be more the self-emptying love between people than the sense of a teachable spirit. When the Lord was in the first stages of removing my heart of stone (along the lines of Ezekiel 36:26), I felt a jolt of joy when someone described me as gentle – not a word I used for myself!
Self-control is another virtue that seems out of fashion these days, but Paul was probably emphasizing it by placing it last on the list. Although these fruit come from the Spirit’s work in us, we too have a role to exercise. As we depend on the Lord, looking to him when we seek to curb our appetites, he will give us the strength to desist from speaking that painful word or overindulging in a self-soothing behavior such as sex, shopping or eating.
May Jesus living within us bring forth these fruit.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, may we abide in you to produce that lasts. Fruit that the world would see and know we are your children. Amen.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22–26
We’re looking at the fruit of the Spirit again this week (and next). Again, remember that these all spring forth from love.
When Paul wrote, joy was also a proper name, as it is today. This is our daughter’s middle name, and when she was little she would delight when it was spoken in her presence: “Joy! That’s my middle name!” But joy isn’t just a happy feeling; it’s a deep sense of well-being even when the circumstances aren’t pleasant.
Peace is also known by the Hebrew word, shalom. This peace isn’t just an absence of conflict, but a sense of completeness; of wholeness within relationships. God’s gift of the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) comes from above, for instance when we feel strife with another or anxiety from within.
Forbearance is a word we don’t seem to prize in our often frenetic lives. But patience and steadfastness come to us when we rely on God, especially in times of trial. I think of several friends with whom I’ve prayed through tough and testing times. The forbearance they exhibit takes my breath away. We wouldn’t wish for these excruciating circumstances – a painful divorce; an injured child – but God redeems them in ways we can’t imagine.
Some people are just more naturally kind than others; I think they are wired that way. For many of us (I count myself in this category), we need God to take us outside of our self-absorbed bubbles and give us the kindness to show to others. My husband can vouch for this area of my life…
Goodness is similar to kindness; in the New Testament, it only appears in Paul’s letters. It’s a state of being made righteous by God, which defines our actions.
What strikes you from this list of the fruit of the Spirit?
Prayer: Lord, I yearn for joy, peace, patience and kindness. Form them in my heart and actions. Amen.
Photo: Scripture Printable Fruit of the Spirit by Finleyjaesdesigns.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22–26
We’ve made it! After a few weeks in the series, we’re here at the nine-fold list that you may have thought I would only focus on (if so, sorry to disappoint). Last week we saw the list of vices that result from living by the flesh; this week we learn of the fruit that grows when we live by the Spirit.
Commentators have tried to group the fruit various ways, but probably the best way is to put them all underneath the first fruit that appears – love. Love is the fruit by which the rest flow. When we love, we invite the other fruit to blossom in our minds and hearts.
As you think about the fruit of the Spirit, remember that fruit is something that grows at the command of another – the gardener or God. We may plant the seed, but for fruit to result, we need good soil, rain, sunshine, and protection against birds, disease, and high winds. We may not realize the fruit that God births in our lives, but those around us may spot it. They may see how we clean up after the coffee time at church, week after week, without complaint or thanks. How we reach out to the older gentleman who has trouble walking unaided. How we don’t blow up when yet again our lovely children delay their bedtime.
When I shared the stage with Jennifer Rees Larcombe at a BRF/Woman Alive women’s event a couple of years ago, what struck me was the love she emanated, not only when she was speaking to the many women gathered, but especially when she prayed throughout the day for individuals. She may have been mending from a broken pelvis, but she wasn’t going to be sidelined in the work of God. She was in step with the Spirit.
May you bear fruit for God – fruit that lasts.
Prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love… where there is despair, hope; where there is sadness, joy. Amen. (After St Francis)
Holy Spirit stained glass window, All Saints Catholic Church, St. Peters, MO, USA
…Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:15–21
Paul, true to the tradition of his times, lists a catalog of vices and virtues as he argues for the Galatians to live fueled by the Spirit, not ruled by the flesh. The acts of the flesh that he lists in this week’s reading, and the fruit of the Spirit we read next week, would vary according to the group of Christians he’s addressing. The Galatians were split by infighting as they tried to determine who to follow – Paul or the so-called Judaizers, who wanted to impose their under-the-law practices, such as circumcision. Realizing this context helps us from making these lists an exhaustive catalog.
But the Bible speaks today, and with the context in mind, we can ask the Lord to show us where we are living by the flesh instead of the Spirit. Churches and households at odds with each other don’t bear the fruit of love.
The angry words that flew in a church I heard about left many hurt, outraged, and in pain. Those in lay leadership opposed the minister, and didn’t hold back in their public criticism, calling him deluded and other names. New to church leadership, he admitted that he could have approached the conflict differently. But yet the vicious words and attacks on his character left him reeling.
How can you support your church leaders? You might not agree with all of their decisions, but they need your love and encouragement. Perhaps you could write a note thanking them for something specific you’ve gained from their ministry. You could drop off a bag of food or goodies. If they have young children, you could offer to babysit so they can have a night off.
How will you be led by the Spirit today?
Prayer: Triune God, help me to put to death the acts of the flesh, that I might live led by your Spirit. Glorify your name through me I pray. Amen.
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:7–14)
In the text we’re reading this week, Paul doesn’t shy away from strong language. If it doesn’t put you off your cereal or sandwich, think through exactly what he’s saying in verse 12. Yes, this is no dry treatise, but rather a passionate missive to win the hearts and minds of a community of believers being led astray. Their fruit would wither on the vine as they embraced, step by step, a false gospel.
Paul yearns that the Galatians would live in the freedom that Christ earned for them. They are free from, and free to. Free from the law (but as we said last week, when living by the Spirit, we’ll yet live according to the law); free to love and serve.
Living in step with the Spirit means following the nudges we might sense from God throughout the day. Instead of walking past the acquaintance on the street, pretending we don’t glimpse them, we stop and chat. And hear of their tooth pain and family brokenness, and we pray for them, there and then at the street corner. That’s following the greatest commandment – loving our neighbor as ourselves – out of a loving obedience to God’s whispers. All the while being grateful that we can hear God and share his neverending love.
Other times it’s harder to love our neighbors as ourselves. Perhaps that neighbor is actually our husband, with whom we are annoyed for some earthy and mundane reason. When we put aside our frustration and repent of our harsh words, loudly spoken, we show love and humility. (And how did you guess, I’m writing about myself and my own struggles!)
How might loving your neighbor take shape for you today? Anticipate how God will work through you.
Prayer: Lord God, we confess that we often fail to love as you love. Help us overcome our selfishness as we reflect your attractive love. Amen.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1–6
When we think of the fruit of the Spirit, often we will think of this list as found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Many a sermon has been preached outlining the fruit, and no doubt, fruit has been borne from those sermons. But we benefit from reading the text within its context. That is, from seeing Paul’s letters for what they are – other people’s mail. What can we learn about the group of Christians he’s addressing? Why is Paul so passionate?
This idea isn’t original to me; it’s been a theme of biblical commentators throughout the centuries. But one modern author has opened my eyes to reading Paul’s letters especially with the recipient in mind: Conrad Gempf in his How to Like Paul Again (Authentic, 2013). I may have edited the book, but when I picked it back up recently I was struck again by how much we gain by gathering knowledge about the Galatians (and Corinthians, Philemon and so on). Knowing the biblical context – learning about the people receiving Paul’s mail – can save us from making poor applications to our lives.
The Galatians had fallen prey to some false teachers who came after Paul. They were trying to convince the new church that Paul wasn’t authoritative, and that to be true worshippers – bearers of fruit – men should undergo circumcision. No, says Paul. You’ve been set free from the law; what matters now is “faith expressing itself through love.”
As New Testament Christians, do we put ourselves under the law? We need to train ourselves in righteousness – through the practice of spiritual disciplines, for example – but we should also experience the freedom and joy that Christ brings. When we live by the Spirit, I’m guessing we’ll abide by the law anyway – but with a different motivator. What do you think?
Prayer: Father God, you loved us so much that you gave your only Son to die for us. Help us to live in your freedom and joy this day. Amen.
I’ve had a bit of a break from posting devotional thoughts, but am delighted to share this one on the fruits of the Spirit. As it’s Lent, the season of preparing for Easter (why should you observe Lent?), it seems appropriate to focus on how God can bring forth fruit in our lives. Thank you for joining me!
When I lived in Virginia, the church I attended held their yearly retreat in the Shenandoah mountains each September. The weekend was always a special time of fun and growth in the Lord – we’d have a speaker who would teach and stretch us, but we’d also enjoy long walks, side-splitting entertainment, and deep conversations. But an abiding memory from those weekends was seeing and enjoying fruit of various kinds. As it was apple season, we’d feast on crunchy Virginia apples and enjoy apple cider. The spiritual fruits we’d glimpse would also enrich us – the love between friends and family, the serving of others, the joy and goodness in evidence.
During this several-month series, we’ll be looking at the fruit of the Spirit according to the letters of the apostle Paul. I hope as you read Paul’s letters, you’ll sense his love and concern for each of the churches he’s addressing. Try to imagine those to whom he’s writing, each facing different situations and challenges. I’ve roughly ordered the readings according to when he wrote the letters (though probably we should have started with Galatians, but 1 Corinthians 13, the ‘love’ chapter, is a wonderful place to start).
The fruit of the Spirit as appearing in Galatians 5 is what we usually think of when we hear the term. But Paul wasn’t making it an authoritative list of what is birthed in and through us as we live as the new creations in Christ. The naming of vices and virtues, as we will see, was then a common practice. So we should bear that in mind, not making the Galatians passage the cast-iron nine-fold list of the fruit of the Spirit.
Anyway, it’s clear from Paul’s writing that love is the main and most prized fruit, which binds the others together. Love is what motivates Paul when he writes to the new Christians, whether from chains in jail or from his travels among the churches. Love is the reason God created us, and sent his Son to redeem us. Love is what fills and overflows from us as the Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be God’s light in a darkened land.
May we love as we are loved.
By Rob Hille (own work) [CC0]
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13
This chapter in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is probably one of the most famous in the Bible, alongside Psalm 23. It’s read at weddings (yes, I read it once) and arranged decoratively and hung on a wall. But Paul addressed it to the Corinthian church, not to lovestruck couples. If we look at the two chapters on either side of chapter 13, we see his concern about how they are conducting themselves in worship, and specifically in regard to spiritual gifts. The most important thing is love – not being the star prophet or interpreter of a word of knowledge.
As Paul says, the greatest of faith, hope, and love is love. And that’s what will remain. It’s also the best and most powerful fruit we can grow. I find that the longer I travel the Christian walk, the more love I receive and the more love I am able to give out. A few years ago, this came home to me during the final session of a retreat I was leading in Spain. As I looked across the room at the diverse group of women, I was struck by the charism of love I had for each one of them. I was no longer a scared, unemotional, closed person, but one who loved and was loved. Each day as I don my new clothes of the new creation, God does his work of regeneration, changing me from the inside out.
How do you receive and share love? Who are the difficult ones in your life to whom you find it hard to extend love? (The relative, the friend who betrayed you, your neighbor?) As you read through this familiar chapter again, ask God to show you one person to whom you can show the love that always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres.
To consider: ‘No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us’ (1 John 4:12).
Embarkation of the Pilgrims, by Robert W. Weir; photograph courtesy Architect of the Capitol
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6–7 (NIV)
The Pilgrims, devout in their faith, left England in 1608 for Amsterdam in search of religious freedom. They lived there twelve years before the foreign culture wore them down and they decided to head for the New World. Their journey on the Mayflower was desperate. The ship was designed for carrying cargo, not passengers. And the cabin where they slept was intended for thirty people, not eighty. Their food rotted and was infested with insects; they nearly drowned when the ship’s main beam cracked; they endured ridicule from the sailors.
When they arrived in the New World, the Pilgrims still faced challenges – building dwelling places, growing food, caring for the sick and dying. But in all things they gave thanks, and observed a full day of Sabbath each week. And they decided to have a Thanksgiving feast. During this three-day celebration, they gave thanks for their food, seven houses built, a peace treaty with the Native Americans and most importantly the freedom to worship God. The women cooked, the men played games and they all shared stories and gave thanks.
And so the heritage of Americans, who for one holiday at least eschew commercialism and come together on this day to enjoy good food and one another. Many Christians keep up the tradition of sharing stories of thankfulness around the table. And with the telling and the listening, they become strengthened in their faith, as we see in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
The challenges we face will differ from those of the Pilgrims. But we can follow their example of devotion to God, taking risks, reaching out to different people and taking time to celebrate and give thanks. We may not be eating turkey today, but we all can take a moment to “give thanks to the Lord for he is good” (Psalm 107:1).
For reflection: “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them” (Luke 24:30).
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:1–5 (NIV)
Living as an American in the UK, for me high days and holy days bring not only joy but a corresponding ache as I’m away from family and friends. But I experience the most profound longing on Thanksgiving, which this year is next week on Thursday. I feel the loss of the nation gathered to feast around a table heaving with turkey, stuffing and gravy and of enjoying the friendship and lively conversation that ensues. Of course I understand why my now-countrypeople don’t celebrate this holiday – after all, the Pilgrims were giving thanks for escaping religious persecution in England. And such is the friendship between the countries now that we attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral each year. And yet the longing remains.
Living today, I enjoy a mobility never imagined by the Pilgrims. My seven-hour airplane ride is a blip compared with their five-month journey across the choppy Atlantic in 1620. After they survived their first harsh winter, they invited the Native Americans who had helped them acclimate to join in a three-day feast of Thanksgiving. And so the tradition began, being solidified when in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving each November.
Psalm 84 reflects the greater ache that all pilgrims harbor – for sweet fellowship with God. Our experiences of love, community, belonging, and celebration are rooted in his character. And our longings for these experiences are a harbinger of what is to come when we are reunited with God in heaven.
For reflection: “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
I write about these longings and how I found God, and myself, in Britain in Finding Myself in Britain: Our Search for Faith, Home & True Identity.
