The Bible is filled with lots of references that are spot on for an agrarian society.  Harvests and crops, fishing, and the scattering of seeds.  One reference that I think we all get even today is when the Bible talks about fruit.  Fruit is the natural bi product that comes out of our life.  Galatians 5 talks about what it looks like when we produce fruit from the spirit within us verses the fruit that our flesh produces.  Let’s look at the passage together today.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Paul is not meaning to create exhaustive lists or formulas here.  He is simple pointing out that when we live by our flesh we produce sinful acts but when we live by the Spirit we produce lives of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control.  I don’t know about you but that sounds like some good fruit that I would like to produce in and through my life.  I pray that through God’s strength we would be able to more and more have our lives look like that.  It will never be perfect, but the more we fill ourselves with the Spirit the more fruit we will see in our lives.  I pray that this Thanksgiving, mixed in with the turkey and gravy, would be a pile of fruit produced from each of our lives!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave