Fruit of the Spirit

Fruit Of The Spirit-The Bible gives several qualities, fruit of the Spirit,
that Christians are to reflect in their lives as we endeavor to become more
and more like Jesus. When I first felt to write about these, I thought that
I could just list them and explain how they are expressed in my present
life. But after looking at them more closely, I realized that I can't do
that because I don't even know if my life reflects them. A few maybe but not
every one of them. So, I decided just to list them and and to write about
each one whatever comes out.

The first quality mentioned is love. My understanding of love,as it is used
here, is not a gushy, mushy sentimental feeling. Rather, it is an act. Jesus
dying on the cross for people would be the ultimate example of love. People
show love to each other, not just by what they say, but also by what they
do. Because I have a limited amount of contact with other people, I have no
idea how much love other people see in me.

The second quality that others should see in Christians is joy. When I first
become a Christian, I was bubbling over with joy. That joy lasted for a
number of years but, eventually, all the negative circumstances that I I
face everyday started to wear me down and now my periods of overt joy are
significantly less. I tell myself that joy is a fruit of the Spirit and I
have the Holy Spirit so joy must be in me somewhere. I just wish it would
bubble over like it used to.

The next one is peace. I know I do have peace when my mind is on the things
of God like it is supposed to be. Unfortunately though, it is not the
consistent peace that Jesus had. Some days, I just feel agitated for no
apparent reason and it is a struggle to get my peace. But I guess periods
of peace are better than no peace at all.

The quality that I can most relate to is longsuffering or patience in the
face of hardship. I suspect, though, that this is a quality that I have had
no choice but to develop. I can fret all I want but it won't change
anything. In fact, it just makes me feel worse so I may as well patiently
wait on God's timing.

The next quality is gentleness or, in some translations of the Bible,
kindness. I don't really know what to say about this one. Except I am
thinking that this is a quality that others see, or don't see in us. For me,
personally, because I don't speak or have much interaction with other
people, it is probably difficult for others to see if it is exhibited in my
life.

Another one is goodness. The state of being good. Another definition I read
is moral excellence. I can't help thinking that it is pretty hard for me to
be very bad when I can't do anything or go places that I shouldn't be going.
I am sure that is one way that God is protecting me.

One quality that I know I do have is faith or faithfulness. Also defined as
loyalty or fidelity. It is simple. If I didn't have faith, I would never
have lasted this long. It is my faith in God that keeps me going when my
emotions are screaming that it is too hard and to give up.

There is the quality of meekness or humility. Again, I think that this is
something others see in you and not you in yourself. I question just how
meek, or humble, a person is if that person goes around telling others how
meek he/she is.

The final quality of a Christian should show is self-control or
self-restraint. This would be being able to do, or not do, something,
without always having to be told. Christians should pray, read the Bible, go
to church, etc., without always needing to be prompted. Conversely, they
should be able to stay away from bars or immoral shows, either on tv or in
the theatre, without needing someone to tell them. Personally, my emotions
quite often get out of control and I need self-control to get them back in
line with God without help from someone else.

There you have it. The fruit of the Spirit or qualities that a Christian
should exhibit in his/her life. I honestly didn't intend to talk about
myself so much but that is what came out.