Let’s take to task the second three attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit presented by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23.
Patience, kindness, goodness … may seem fairly straight forward to address but I, for one, consider these three attributes to be extremely challenging to properly present.
Patience has never been this guy’s strong suit. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if everything went just as planned?
Certainly, that’s a rhetorical question, which we would all answer with a resounding “yes” even though we know that’s not how life works.
We all dread unanticipated delays while traveling, long waits for medical appointments and queues of all sorts, which have us feeling we are not making good use of our allotted time.
In fact, we could easily make a case that time is our enemy. We are all given the same amount of time every day, but we also know our days are numbered and our time on this planet will eventually run out.
It’s quite natural to want to make good use of our time. It’s foolish to place a value on time, yet that’s exactly what many professionals do in the form of billable hours.
Listen to these words of King Solomon from Ecclesiastes 8:5-6: “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavy upon him.”
Let’s move to kindness. I’m not talking about “Random Acts of Kindness.” That once popular bumper sticker sounds fine, but that’s certainly not what Paul presents.
Kindness is much more than random, impulsive acts — it’s a way of living.
In my humble opinion, it requires awareness to what God is doing in our midst. He orchestrates circumstances that may well touch our individual heart and we are compelled to give our time, talent, energy and certain resources to support a given cause.
Yes, we can walk away from the need, but doing so demonstrates a disobedient and a selfish heart.
We would be wise to heed these Words of God in James 4:13-17: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
Now let’s briefly address goodness. As followers of Christ, we must present the Light of Christ to shine on those He places in our path.
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus instructs us, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Let’s sum this up by simply recognizing that we are all given certain Fruit for His purpose in this life for His glory. It’s all about Him!