Love, joy, peace … now those are attributes that we all admire in others! And, if we take an unbiased look at ourselves, I suspect most, if not all, will admit we are somewhat lacking.
Let me start the ball rolling by letting you know that personally this guy falls short of the mark set in God’s Word.
By the way, that’s only the first three of nine attributes found in Galatians 5:22-23, simply referred to as the “Fruit of the Spirit.”
Let’s take a closer look at each of these attributes presented to the Christian Church in Galatia by the Apostle Paul.
I’m not surprised that love is the first fruit presented. After all, the Christian faith is based upon God’s love for us and our love for Him and others.
On God’s part, we’re talking about unconditional love. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit we, too, can experience such love for God and those He places in our path. It’s quite a phenomenon to experience agape love.
Paul reminds us of the extent of God’s love for us in Romans 5:5-8: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Let’s move to a second attribute: joy. Joy is so much more than simply happiness. We all experience happy and sad times, but joy is quite different.
In James 1:2-3, we’re encouraged “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
Now that may well have you questioning how anyone might possibly consider testing of one’s faith to be a joyful experience!
As a young boy, pleasing my earthly father and mother brought me great joy. I longed to please them and loved them recognizing my good behavior.
In a similar fashion, followers of Christ need to demonstrate a similar demeanor for their Father in Heaven. Knowing that we have pleased Him should bring us an overwhelming joy.
Let me end this portion with the words of King David found in Psalm 30:4-5: “Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Now, let’s take on a third attribute: peace. We’re not considering world peace, but inner peace.
Jesus spoke to His disciples of this peace in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
He speaks these words with authority to all who follow Him.
Do you experience this continual inner peace that can only come through the Holy Spirit dwelling within you? All I can tell you is this: it’s real and it’s available to all who come to Jesus.
He has paid the price in full on the cross through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension into Heaven. All we need do is admit our sinful ways, turn our life over to the Father and accept His gift of salvation.
Stay tuned for further discussions on the Fruit of the Spirit.