“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
I sat in church listening to a sermon about fruit of the spirit, and I thought about my kitchen. For years, we had Galatians’ nine virtues adorning the walls near the ceiling of our kitchen.
Every time we entered to get a slice of watermelon or a bowl of cereal, those words stood out in blue calligraphy. And we had a chance to ponder them.
Paul in his letter to the Galatians deliberately described ‘fruit’ as singular – one fruit with nine flavors. When in the kitchen, we can choose a pear or a peach or a popsicle, but we have no liberty to pick and choose fruits of the spirit.
All of these qualities – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — belong together. They’re meant to grow on the same tree. And that tree has to have deep and healthy roots. It has to be nourished and fertilized by God’s grace.
We display the fruit of the Spirit as a result of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. When we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit fills us and begins to produce good fruit in us. He begins to work in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus. As we pursue God and follow his teachings, the Holy Spirit continues to produce more and more good fruit in us.
Apart from Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. We can’t truly be loving or patient. We can’t have real joy or peace in our lives. We surely won’t show kindness and goodness. And don’t count on us to be gentle or temperate.
For our lives to be fruitful and faithful, we must be infused with the Holy Spirit. And it doesn’t hurt to have our kitchen walls plastered with Scripture!