Fruit of the Spirit

I went for a meal the other day with some friends and while we chatted and caught up we perused the menu and in particular the daily specials. One of my friends ordered one of the specials but the waitress said "sorry that’s now off the menu"; this friend is a fussy eater and actually likes very little, certainly in comparison to me who will eat mostly everything, but she ordered another dish. A few minutes later the waitress came back "sorry we’ve none of that left" and she gave my friend the chef’s alternative suggestion, but no, my friend tried once more with the one other dish on the menu she would eat.  Sadly for my friend she ended up eating only chips ! Being girls we grumbled about how they should have a better menu and how they should ensure there’s enough ingredients before putting a dish on the menu.

Now I know that one of my friends that day was under some stress and was in the middle of a very difficult situation. That evening as I reflected on our lunch I thought about the lack of choices one friend had from the menu because the chef or whoever was responsible for ordering the ingredients for the dishes in the menu had for whatever reason not got it right. I wondered if my other friend in need had got what she wanted from me as she might have looked to me not just as her friend but as her Christian friend, one living and so walking by the Spirit advertising the fruit of the spirit on my menu board. Did I show her love today? Did I impart peace to her or was I too bothered by own anxieties and stresses?  Was I lacking in any of these fruits that I should be bearing in my Spirit filled life?

John 15:16 and Ephesians 1:4 tells us we are chosen and appointed to go and bear fruit. This concept is often used in Scripture, but what is bearing fruit?

Essentially it is becoming like Jesus. Spiritual fruit will show itself in our lives as a change in our character and outlook.

The Bible gives an excellent description a life characterized by the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22–23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

Is that what others see in my life, what others benefit from in my life? God is not asking for perfection, but He is asking that these fruits be primary characteristics of a life that is lived for Him.

I want to explore this spiritual fruit over the next days and then conclude with how this spiritual fruit is produced in our lives.