GENETIC MISBREED

As I walked down the street, I stumbled upon a mango tree bearing orange fruits. What!? Shocked? Could it be a dream, an accident, experiment or crazy genetic misbreed...Lol... In the same way, you will be greatly shocked, perhaps bewildered if you see a CHRISTian not behaving like CHRIST. 

The surest way to determine the species of a tree is to look at the fruit it bears. Similarly, we can look at the fruit that individuals bear to help us discern their spiritual makeup/condition. As Christians, we may wish we were perfect, but the reality is we haven’t arrived. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is at work to develop the character of Christ in us. As the fruit of the Spirit is formed in us, we will become spiritually mature and grow in our effort to be like Christ. The spiritual characteristics that God desires to be increasing in our lives are found in the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control... (Gal. 5:22-23a) Although nine are listed, Paul referred to them in a singular way – fruit. This shows a unity of purpose and completeness in the nine that work together as one fruit. We do not have the option to pick and choose which fruit we wish to have.

Love:

The Greek word “agape” is used in this passage to define the love that is a fruit of the Spirit. Agape refers to the strongest and purest type of love anyone can know. It is unconditional, the type of love God love us. Love alone embodies selfless concern for the purposes of God and the well-being of others. It is the reflection of the character of God who is love. Love must be the motivation for all we do.

Joy:

Joy is fruit of the Spirit that come through being in right relationship with God. Joy is an inward satisfaction from the Holy Spirit that is not affected by circumstances. The world’s view of joy is conditional. It depends on pleasant circumstances. The joy from the Holy Spirit can be experienced in the middle of suffering and when things are not always going the way we would like.

Peace:

The peace from God keeps our hearts and minds calm and settled when we face difficult problems or hardship and can’t change the situations. It is the inner confidence that God is in control. It is beyond our understanding and it is a benefit of being a child of God.

                                                              Today’s Questions:

Suffering and smiling, and possessing the Fruit of the Spirit – Joy and Peace in difficult situations, are they the same?

Patience:

Patience help us as believers to be understanding and forgiving when wronged by another person, even another believer. Patience recognise that we received God’s forbearance and forgiveness and need to treat others as He has treated us. This level of patience can be developed only as the Holy Spirit bears His fruit in our lives.

Gentleness:

It is the conscious choice to treat others according to their need. Gentleness emphasises what is gentle, kind and good. It should not be confused with weakness and a lack of conviction. The fruit of gentleness is also displayed when we choose to show kindness to others, even those who have wronged us. Our patient, gentle and good actions are not to be based on our feelings. Instead we are to behave this way because God’s love is in our hearts.

Goodness:

The fruit of goodness emphasises what is noble, right and good. It is reaching out to others to do good for them. Goodness involves both our character and our actions. Goodness often is seen in the good works done by godly people. This means we cannot afford to despair in doing good for others.

Faith:

Faith is the quality that makes us trustworthy or dependable. It is the bases for our relationship with God – salvation is based on God’s grace and faithfulness not on anything good we have done. Faith without faithfulness is faithlessness. Faithful people will consistently be involved in good works for they know it is a way to express their faith in the God who is faithful to save.

Meekness:

Meekness is a humility that allows us think of ourselves with sober judgment. Each person has strengths and weaknesses. Meekness allows us to acknowledge both and find ways to use our strengths to bless others and accept the help of others in areas where we are weak. It is also exhibited when we show respect to each other.

Temperance (self-control):

Self-control makes it possible for Christians to live righteously and godly in this world as they look forward to the return of Christ. Self-control is a product of God’s grace in our lives – saying “No” to the world and “Yes” to God.

Did you know that...?

o   Spiritual gifts and virtues have no meaning unless motivated by love.

o   It takes the Holy Spirit at work in us to treat others with patients, gentleness and goodness.

o   Being at peace with God helps us to be at peace with others.

When a person learns to be at peace with God and others, he can be at peace with himself. Being at peace with God removes any guilt that sin may have caused. Being at peace with others may keep us from saying or doing something we later regret. Something remarkable begins to happen as believers grow in their relationships with God. They begin to notice improvement in their relationships with others.

As much as we might like to, we cannot grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We can, however, corporate with the Spirit as He produces these Christ-like virtues in us. Often this cooperation involves choices we must make to life’s circumstances. Will we choose to worry or commit our concerns to God in pray? Will we harbour grudges against those who hurt us or will we practice forbearance and forgiveness? Will we out of pride promote ourselves or humbly trust God to exalt us?