WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FRUITS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law,”
(Galatians 5:22-23)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever gone to a farmer’s market and observed all of
the fresh fruits available? Apples of different kinds, oranges,
several types of grapes, pears, etc. Sometimes we overindulge
in our purchases and the result is, some of our fruit will spoil
before we can eat it.

The apostle Paul tells us about a different kind of fruit – the
fruit of the Spirit. The good news is, we can never overindulge
of this fruit. In fact, God wants us to overindulge in the fruit
of the Spirit.

If we expect to harvest the fruit of the Spirit, we need to sow
the provider (the Holy Spirit) of these fruits into our lives. A
farmer cannot expect any harvest if he doesn’t plant his crops,
and we cannot expect to harvest the fruits of the Spirit unless
we plant the seeds of the Spirit into our lives.

Just as the farmer works hard to prepare for cultivating his crops,
we also need to spend time preparing for the fruits of the Spirit. It
is not something that ‘just happens’ on its own; it needs a conscious
effort on our part to prepare the ‘soil’ of our hearts and minds.

Just as the farmer adds fertilizer to enhance the growth of his crops,
we need to enhance the growth of the Spirit in our lives by changing
our attitudes, our habits, and our priorities. The farmer protects his
crops from insects, and we need to protect our minds from the things
that will prohibit the development of the fruits of the Spirit.

Human nature is the ‘insect’ that tries to destroy our spiritual fruits;
the Holy Spirit is the ‘insecticide’ that protects our spiritual fruits.
We can’t expect to develop and enjoy the fruits of the Spirit if we
continue being controlled by our human nature, instead of choosing
to surrender to the Spirit’s control of our lives.

How can we know if we are properly preparing our mind for the Spirit?
We can get an indication of our preparations by the way we react to types
of circumstances. For instance, in the following instances, would you react
with your natural attitudes and emotions, or would you yield to the control
of the Holy Spirit?
    – A disagreement with your spouse.
    – Someone cuts you off in traffic.
    – A lack of appreciation from your peers or manager at work.
    – A broken water pipe in your home.
    – A neighbor who is difficult to deal with.
    – Someone challenges you about your faith.
    – Disrespect from your children.
    – A lack of understanding from others.
    – A health problem for you or someone you love.
    – Rudeness from others (failing to listen to you; talking over you;
      walking away while you are still talking to them, etc.).

I’m sure we could add many more to this brief list of things
that could irritate us, disrupt our day, or challenge our level
of patience. But the important question to answer is,
    “How do I react when confronted with unpleasant situations?”

When we submit to the Holy Spirit, our reactions to adverse
circumstances will be more of a Godly response than a typical
‘knee jerk’ reaction, controlled by our human nature. It is not
easy, but we need to suppress our natural tendencies, so the 
Holy Spirit can flow freely in and through us.

Sometimes people excuse their ungodly actions by saying things
like,
    “That’s just the way I am”.
That kind of attitude indicates that a person is not willing to change.
It means they have decided to allow their human nature to remain,
and continue to be in control of their attitudes, emotions and actions.
In addition, they are saying that God created them this way, so their
reactions are His fault. We know that blaming God for our ungodly
actions or reactions is never a good thing.

Jesus loves us so much that He promised an ‘open door’ access to
the Holy Spirit (as our Advocate) to assist us in transforming from
being a person controlled by natural instinct, to a ‘new person’ who
is now under the control of God’s Spirit. Look at the promise Jesus
made:
    “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that
      I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate
      will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him
      to you.”
      (John 16:7)

Think about that for a moment: our Savior (God’s own Son) knows
the importance of the Holy Spirit having an active part in our life.
He promised that when He died to pay our ‘sin debts’, He would
send His Spirit to help us with our efforts to live righteous lives.
We should never reject anything the Lord makes available for us.
    And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with
    whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
    (Ephesians 4:30)

Of course, the ‘Advocate’ Jesus speaks about is the ‘Holy Spirit’.
There are some who choose to ignore this offer of assistance from
the Lord and shut the door on the Spirit so they can continue living
their own way. When we are unwilling to submit to the Holy Spirit,
we cannot expect to reap a harvest of the fruits of the Spirit.

When God blesses us with salvation, He begins a sanctification
process that will purge us of unrighteousness and fill us with a
new fullness of righteousness. He transforms us from ‘who we
are’ to ‘who He wants us to be’. Because of what He does in our
life, we can take off our ‘old self’ and put on our ‘new self’.
    That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you
    heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance
    with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard
    to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is
    being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in
    the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created
    to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
    (Ephesians 4:20-24)

ACTION:
Have you been preparing for a harvest of the fruits of the Spirit?
Are you allowing your human nature to inhibit the growth of the
Spirit in your life? What changes should you make to enhance the
growth of the Holy Spirit in your life? Can you identify any of the
fruits of the Spirit that are evident in your life? Can others detect
any fruits of the Spirit in you, by your actions and reactions?

Think about this:
    If the farmer protects his crops against only one type of insect,
    then his crops could be destroyed by other insects. In order to
    fully protect his crops, he needs to defend against all potential
    varmints that can ruin his crops. In the same manner, we need
    to create an environment that is receptive for ‘all’ the fruits of
    the Spirit to be alive and growing in our own lives.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, teach me to walk in Your Spirit so that
I can reap the harvest of the fruits of the Spirit. Create in
me a sincere desire to welcome the Holy Spirit’s control
of my attitudes, habits, goals and emotions. Help me to
cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
gentleness and self-control in my own life. Guide me in
my efforts to replace selfishness with selflessness. Make
me aware of any attitudes of self-centeredness, and help
me to replace them with a genuine concern for others. If
I am rude and inconsiderate, teach me to be caring and
considerate of others. If I consider myself to have all the
answers, and my desire to be in full control, then show
me how to be humble and submissive to the Holy Spirit.
I want to have a closer fellowship with You, and I need
Your help in becoming more Godly and less natural in
all I do and say. Thank You for loving me enough to
change me!”

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