But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.Love: This aspect pretty much sums up all of the fruits of the Spirit. You see love talked about all throughout the Bible, but probably the most prevalent of said verses is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, the Bible verse that all Christian couples put as their Facebook status (the one that starts off with "Love is patient, love is kind"). Just a few verses later, in 1 Cor. 13:13, Paul states that out of faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. Love encompasses all of the fruits of the Spirit, for out of loving comes the rest.
Joy: When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with joy and thanksgiving. The presence of God should make us want to dance with happiness. The fact that God still loves us, even throughout all the sin that has once taken up our lives, should make our hearts burst with happiness and admiration!
Peace: Not only is Paul talking about peace among other people, but also about peace within ourselves. In this day and age we are all jumping busily from here to there, often becoming stressed out and frustrated. But when the Holy Spirit is within us, our souls find a place to rest and become at peace.
Patience: Probably one of the hardest fruits to live by. Again, in today's America, we are so accustomed to the fast-paced society and the "now" mindset. We don't have time to sit and wait, we need to be occupied with something at all times. Being patient and forgiving with one another is important to build relationships with one another. Patience also comes in handy when you're waiting on God's direction in your life. It can be terribly frustrating, but we have to realize that God does not work on the same time frame as we do.
Kindness: This quality goes hand in hand with the first quality of love. Once God's love starts to flow through you, you will find that it is much easier for you to be kind to one another.
Goodness: You may think that this aspect is the same as kindness, but it is different in the way that goodness draws people in. Start being good to people, and they will notice. They will start to wonder why you're showing so much goodness to people. This is a perfect witnessing tool. The Bible says that God's goodness can lead sinners to salvation (Romans 2:4), and He has given us that attractiveness as well when we incorporate goodness into our lives.
Faithfulness: Having faith and staying loyal is not something you see running rampant in today's society. When you enter into a relationship with Jesus, you are expected to stay strong and faithful in Him. Out of this faithfulness in God comes faithfulness in your everyday relationships. God wants you to be someone that people can depend on so that you can show Him to them.
Gentleness: Sometimes we have such little patience when dealing with people that we forget all about this quality. We live in such an up front and rude world that even one gentle word or touch from you can brighten up someone's day. You can see during Jesus' life on earth that he possessed a ton of gentleness, but sometimes you can see him sternly setting people straight. Once you start walking with God, you'll know when to be gentle with someone and when to lovingly set them straight.
Self-control: Probably the hardest thing for a teenager to possess is the ability to control yourself. Our world is starting to widely accept and even advertise things that Christians absolutely should not take part in. With peer pressure, propaganda, and raging hormones, it almost seems impossible to have self-control. When you let God take control of your life, you'll begin to notice the urge to give into these temptations disappear. Prepare yourself, however, for a constant battle between Holiness and sinfulness. Pray during times of temptation that God will give you the strength to overcome your fleshly desires.
We can see through Jesus' life that attaining these nine fruit of the Holy Spirit is not impossible. Once God has taken control of your life, you cannot help but let these things come into practice. Letting God sanctify you opens up doors to help bring other people to Christ or to help a struggling believer in their walk.
Lord, I pray that You will help me and other believers to incorporate these qualities into our daily lives so that we can be more like You. Let Your light shine through us in all that we do so that You may be glorified.
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