The Nine Fruits of the Spirit

Paul’s letter to the Galatians lists these fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Nine incredible ways to know that God is at work in our lives. First of all, they are fruits that God produces as a result of our surrendered lives to him. They come from him and are a part of him. Love is what God has shown to each of us. He helps us love others. It’s not hard to love people who are nice to us, but it is difficult to love the unlovely. This fruit loves unconditionally. The next fruit is joy. God gives us the ability to have joy in the middle of sorrow. It’s a joy that comes from the Lord, and it gives us strength to endure trials as Jesus did. Joy enables us to enjoy our lives with those around us. It comes from God, and the world can’t take it away from us. When this fruit is evident, we are free from the anxieties of life because of the wonderful peace God has placed within our hearts. Next comes patience. We are, by default, impatient, especially with others. When this fruit is present, we demonstrate patience with others. Only God can give us that noble quality.

The next is gentleness, which is power under control. Jesus was so gentle with bruised hearts and spirits that were barely flickering with life. His words and actions conveyed kindness and gentleness. Kindness, another fruit, flows out of a gentle spirit. With a gentle spirit and kind words, we enrich the lives of people around us. Next is goodness, which is what is on the inside of us. It is what makes up our character. Integrity is not what we do, so much as who we are. It determines what we do, and it becomes the navigation system that guides us. Next is faithfulness or trustworthiness. Faithfulness determines how reliable we are. When you are working and living among faithful people, you grow rather than shrivel up around unreliable people. Another aspect of gentleness and faithfulness is humility. Gentle and faithful people are always humble. Peter described humility as “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Lastly, there is self-control; this is really the vehicle in which all the other fruits are transported to others.  Without self-control, we have no patience, no love, no joy, no peace, or any other fruit. Solomon said this: “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32). Self-control demonstrates the Spirit of Christ in our lives, and it enables us to choose God’s will over our own will.

 

God’s Answer to Anxiety

Who doesn’t experience Anxiety in this life? It is more common to humanity than any of us care to admit. No one is exempt. We are anxious about what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen. Anxiety is a thief that steals our peace and enjoyment in life. We worry about outcomes, whether they will be good or bad. We worry about people—our friends, family, and ourselves. We worry about our health and our money. These feelings of Anxiety come from a host of different reasons, from things not going our way to being mistreated, insulted, or neglected. Interestingly, the older we get, the more Anxiety we are prone to experience.

Jesus told us not to worry: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ( Matthew 6:25). Jesus’ words are profound! Life has to be more—it has to have meaning and purpose, God-given purpose. We know that God put each of us here for a reason.

Anxiety is nothing new, because Solomon, in his book of Ecclesiastes, gives us some good advice on how to lessen it. Solomon said, “So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 11:10). He knows from experience that our world, in its broken state, brings us loss and many troubles. He tells us to cast off these troubles. In other words, rather than dwelling on what has happened to us, which usually perpetuates the problem, cast it off by giving it to God. Peter also tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

The prophet Isaiah had some things to say about Anxiety: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). We will never know true peace unless we repent of our sins and find God’s forgiveness. The Christian life is one of quiet trust in God’s strength. God will take care of us. We may face difficult times ahead, but he will be with us. God gives us light in our darkness: “when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!” (Job 29:3).

Isaiah says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18). It is not always easy to trust God and allow him to calm our hearts, but this is the only way we will truly experience peace without Anxiety.