Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 13–15; John 7:1–27

Memory Verse: Galatians 5:22–23

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Scripture & Insight: Galatians 5:22–26

The apostle Paul has quite a few things to teach us about the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer. The moment a person believes in Jesus through faith, they receive the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, 14). Referred to as “the Spirit of his Son” (4:6), God sent Him to dwell in our hearts, adopting us to become His children and empowering us to call Him “Abba, Father” (4:6–7). Paul warned that the sinful human nature continues to resist the indwelling Spirit (5:17).

The key to victory is to live in the power of the Spirit, being led by Him and walking and keeping in step with Him. Only in this way can we overcome the vices of the sinful nature and live in a right relationship with God (5:5, 16, 18, 25). Such a Spirit-controlled life is one that pleases God; it’s a life that bears the “fruit of the Spirit” (v. 22).

MESSAGE

A nursery owner set out to sell peach trees. She considered various approaches. Should she line up leafy saplings in burlap sacks in a beautiful display? Should she create a colorful catalog picturing peach trees in various seasons of growth? At last she realized what really sells a peach tree. It’s the peach it produces: sweet-smelling, deep orange, and fuzzy-skinned. The best way to sell a peach tree is to pluck a ripe peach, cut it open until the juice dribbles down your arm, and hand a slice to a customer. When they taste the fruit, they want the tree.

God reveals Himself in a wrapper of spiritual fruit in His followers: love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). When believers in Jesus exhibit such fruit, others will want that fruit as well, and, therefore, will seek the Source of the fruit that’s so attractive.

Fruit is the external result of an internal relationship—the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Fruit is the dressing that beckons others to know the God we represent. Like the bright peaches standing out against the green leaves of a tree, the fruit of the Spirit announces to a starving world, “Here is food! Here is life! Come and find a way out of exhaustion and discouragement. Come and meet God!”

Reflect & Pray
What first drew you to Jesus? How are you exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in your life so that others are attracted to its Source, God?
Holy Spirit, I welcome You to continue to grow Your fruit in my life that others might see You and want You in their lives.

Our Daily Bread   21 May 2022 Devotional written by Elisa Morgan published by Our Daily Bread Ministries.