The Fruit of the Spirit
Fruit grows on various types of trees and plants. Each tree or plant brings forth only one type of fruit. We do not have plants with "fruits," just one fruit. This is significant when it comes to what the Bible tells us about the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22,23) The Holy Spirit bears fruit in the lives of all believers. He doesn't bear "fruits." When we read the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, we must realize they are all just one fruit that the Spirit bears in us. We will have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. We will have all of them or none of them, because this is a description of the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruits of the Spirit. Let me tell us why this is so important.
When we get saved, we receive the Holy Spirit. He begins to work in our lives, as we yield ourselves to Him. The more we yield ourselves to the Spirit, the more He works in us and through us. One thing He does for us is to produce His fruit, so we will be more like Jesus. Yes, there will be a noticeable change in our life. The more we walk in the Spirit and allow Him to change us, the more we will become like Jesus. Jesus had all of these spiritual qualities in His life, not just a few. As believers, we will not have His love and not have His peace and joy. We will not have all the rest, but not have patience or self-control. All will become active, or none will be active. Therefore, if we struggle with any of the things in this list, first, we need to make sure we are saved and have the Holy Spirit. If we are saved, and we are struggling, it is because we are not walking in the Spirit, so the fruit of the Spirit is very lacking, even though it is there. These things are not a part of our personality, they are a result of being a Christian. Therefore, if the fruit is not evident in all these ways, we need to surrender to the Lord, allow the Spirit to fill us, and shape us fully. Then, we will see God's will for all of us to have all of these spiritual qualities all of the time by the power of the Spirit, not by our own power.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Galatians 6 and Ephesians 1-2.