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Fruit of the Spirit - Visible Growth in Jesus Christ
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, these are the fruits that all Christians should be producing in their new lives with Jesus Christ.
Fruit of the Spirit - The Nine Biblical Attributes
The fruit of the Spirit is a physical manifestation of a Christian's transformed life. In order to mature as believers, we should study and understand the attributes of the ninefold fruit:
Love - "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Joy - "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
Peace - "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Longsuffering (patience) -- We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Gentleness (kindness) -- We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).
Goodness - "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).
Faith (faithfulness) - "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Meekness - "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Temperance (self-control) - "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Fruit of the Spirit - A Devotional for All Christians
The fruit of the Spirit is a wonderful study for Christians at any level of spiritual maturity. We hope this website provides a thought-provoking devotional and a springboard for growth.
your brother in Christ
Bible Study Space said… 
Bible Study Space said… 
Bible Study Space said… Unforgiveness is something that can really hold us back from escaping the corruption of sin and living for God. Unforgiveness comes in many forms, such as bitterness, hatred, malice, holding grudges and resentment. It can actually block God's forgiveness of our sin and provides a foothold for the devil to influence our lives. Additionally, unforgiveness can plant a “root of bitterness” in us that leads to various damaging results (e.g. ruins the fruit of the Holy Spirit, stunts spiritual growth, contributes to physical illness). Like acid can destroy the vessel that holds it, so can unforgiveness destroy us when we harbor it.
Here are some key scriptures addressing our need to forgive:
3Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him." Luke 17:3-4 NKJV
14"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” Mark 11:25 NASB
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 NASB
Forgiving others
God expects us to forgive others just as he has forgiven us. God, who is perfect, sacrificed his Son Jesus so that our sin penalty (death) would be paid. Because of our faith in Christ (and his sacrifice), God forgives us from our sin. If we then refuse to forgive another person for an offense, we are dishonoring the forgiveness that God gave us. God will hold us accountable for this as Jesus illustrated in the sobering parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35).
The scripture says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19 NKJV). As God's followers, we must submit our desire for justice to him and trust it in his hand.
This can be very hard to do, especially if someone has spitefully mistreated us or someone we love. Forgiving someone is not condoning what they have done, but rather, it is laying the case before God’s throne and asking him to deal with it according to his will. We have to remember that God saw the evil that was done. He knows how deeply we’ve been hurt. If we can come to the place where we’re willing to forgive the person through Christ’s love, we will be able to move forward and leave the burden of justice in his capable hands.
Are you ready to forgive? Not everyone reading this page will be ready to forgive the person(s). I encourage you to ask God to give you the desire and ability to forgive "from the heart" as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 18:35 NIV. Here is an example prayer: "Lord God, I recognize my sin of unforgiveness. Please help me get to the point of being willing to forgive those who have wronged me. Please give me the desire and ability to forgive. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
Prayer to forgive others: Don't pray this prayer until you are ready to truly forgive the people who wronged you. God commands us to forgive "from the heart."
“Heavenly Father, you are holy and righteous. You are perfect in justice. I confess that I have not forgiven as you have commanded me to. Through Jesus Christ, I now forgive these people: I confess my pride and judgment of those people. Please forgive me Lord and cleanse me from my sin. Please help me to thoroughly entrust these people and the wrongs they caused me into your hands. I pray that your will be done in my life and in their lives. Please help me to no longer think on those wrongs , but instead to focus my thoughts on you. I invite you, Lord, into any painful memories I have concerning what was done. Please heal any wounds I received and help me to have your perspective on what happened. (Take time now to pray silently and receive from the Lord) Thank you, Father! In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.”
Forgiving ourselvesWhen we've made bad mistakes in life, it can be tempting to unmercifully hold ourselves responsible. This too is a way of trying to act like God as judge, inflicting the punishment of condemnation on ourselves. Just as God has forgiven us for our sin, we need to forgive ourselves for our sin as well. When we release ourselves from this self-judgment, we will free ourselves to become the new person that God intends us to be.
Here is an example prayer: "Heavenly Father, I confess that I have unmercifully held myself in judgment concerning. I forgive myself for my role in that situation. Please cleanse me of all self-condemnation by the blood of Jesus and restore in me a healthy self-esteem. Thank you, Lord for forgiving me and empowering me to live for you as a new creation. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
Having forgiven others, and ourselves, we must now walk forward and resist the temptations to revisit the unforgiveness. This will likely require us to exercise authority over thoughts and persistently make them obedient to Jesus
Happy New Year
your brother in Christ
Frank
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