Summer Fruit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” –Galatians 5:22-26

Summer fruit is sweet and refreshing. Often found in beach coolers, at backyard BBQ’s, and as an afternoon snack. Watermelon, strawberries, peaches, pineapples, cherries, all bursting with flavor and nourishment. For the next two months here at Curated Faith I’ll be posting a daily devotional series on the Fruit of the Spirit. I want to focus on Christian character, what it looks like to live “in step with the Spirit” and think about how can we be more sweet and refreshing toward others.

In Galatians Paul makes his list of “the fruit of the spirit” in contrast with the “works of the flesh.” I believe that God is the embodiment of the “Fruit of the Spirit” because he IS the Spirit and God overcame every work of the flesh by the perfect sinless life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

The Spirit is not “the force” or a mysterious unknowable entity. The Spirit of God is the seal of our salvation and our personal helper and guide through life. The Spirit lives in us, teaches us, helps us, encourages us, walks with us, and like a gardener, cultivates in us the fruit of righteousness. Jesus plants the seeds, the Word of God waters and the Spirit makes it grow.

We know “God is love,” but how do we grow love in our own lives? We know God is patient and kind but how do we become more patient and what really is kindness? Is it just being nice? If Jesus was faithful even to death on the cross, what does it mean for us to be faithful? How is “self-control” a fruit of the Spirit, don’t we have “freedom in Christ?” These are just a few of the questions I’ll be exploring in this series.

I hope we don’t seek the fruit of the Spirit just to be a better version of our tired old self. We should really want to live “in step with the Spirit” so that God is glorified and the Gospel is apparent in our everyday life. Join me here daily to cultivate the sweet and refreshing “Fruit of the Spirit.” You can subscribe to my weekly email newsletter so you don’t miss a thing.