The Fruits Of The Spirit

According to (Luke 6: 43 - 45) Jesus said: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

We have all known people that fit both descriptions some are praiseworthy and the latter are appalling and often difficult to be around. When the Lord talks about fruit He is referring to that which comes from the spirit within a person, those who have a good spirit are known by the fruits that they bear Paul spoke of this in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5: 22 - 23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 

You will note that in the scripture that “Spirit” is capitalized which refers to the Spirit of God and the fruits are those which He has placed within us and often begins at the first moment when we acknowledge the ultimate authority of God over our lives. What He has instilled in us flows outwardly as we mature in the grace and knowledge of God and deal with whatever former folly existed in our lives. You will note that the fruits are listed in an ascending order, all are initiated as an outflow of love while self-control is listed last and is most difficult to achieve outside of acknowledging the lordship of God in Christ at some point in one’s life. Some people come to that place through their participation in church, others through a recovery organization as they are modeled after biblical principles whereby there is acknowledgment of sinful failures, repentance by making amends to those who were offended, and a call on a Higher Power requesting God’s help. 

I know a wonderful person who is a prime example, she manifested all of the fruits of the Spirit and passed on recently leaving behind a trail of loving memories of who she is. There are two kinds of people, there are givers and there are takers, this fine lady was a giver and gave up much for the sake of others. I prefer to use the present tense when referring to her because I know for certain that she continues to live on in the presence of God and of His Christ. I am confident in saying that because the following scriptures make it clear that being a member of any church or religious organization, though helpful, are not God’s criteria for salvation, but the following verses tell us what is: (Romans 10:13)  For, “every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (1 John 5: 13) These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.