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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22–23
D.L. MOODY
The fruit of the Spirit begins with love.
There are nine graces spoken of, and of these nine, Paul puts love at the head of the list; love is the first thing, the first in that precious cluster of fruit. Someone has said that all the other eight are an outflow from love. Joy is love exulting; peace is love in repose; long suffering is love on trial; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love at school; and temperance is love in training. So it is love all the way; love at the top, love at the bottom, and all the way along down this list of graces. If we only just brought forth the fruit of the Spirit, what a world we would have! Men would have no desire to do evil.
ERWIN LUTZER
Are you a fruit-bearing Christian? One day, I was talking to a man going blind. He was angry at people, but most of all, he was angry at God. He bitterly told me, “I have always been a self-made man. And now I am going to have to depend upon others.” I tried to encourage him, but later I thought, God can’t use “self-made men.” God only uses “God-made” men. God has to take us as self-made men and women and prune us in order to make us fruit-bearing Christians.
The result of friendship with Jesus is fruit-bearing. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16). As Moody reminds us, the fruit that should be most evident is love. And we love Him because He first loved us. With that kind of love, we can even love our enemies!
PRAYER
Father, thank you for calling me your friend and calling me to be a fruit-bearing Christian. May I bring you glory by developing a more intimate relationship with you and loving others even as you love me.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How might God be using this season in your life to prune you so that you can grow more spiritual fruit?Since your spiritual fruitfulness is a reflection of your proximity to Jesus, how would you describe the current state of your daily walk and intimacy with Him?