The Fruit of the Holy Spirit: Part 2
Memory Passage
You, however, are controlled not by the
sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is
in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness.
Romans 8:9-10
Scripture Reading: John 15
Please refer to your Bible.
Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:22-25
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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Insights
"But the fruit of the Spirit, Paul tells us, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...The mere recital of the
Christian graces should be enough to make the mouth water and the heart
beat faster. For this is a portrait of Jesus Christ. No man or woman has ever
exhibited these qualities in such balance or to such perfection as the man
Christ Jesus. Yet this is the kind of person that every Christian longs to
be...First, our relationship with God: 'love, joy, peace'. The Holy Spirit puts
God's love in our hearts, God's joy in our souls, and God's peace in our minds.
Love, joy and peace pervade a Spirit-filled Christian. Indeed, these may be said
to be his principal and abiding characteristics." -John Stott, Baptism and
Fullness
Consider this!
The great command of Jesus Christ is to love the Lord your God with all your
heart, soul, strength and mind. All of the law and the prophets are fulfilled in
this. However, first we must understand and experience the love of God for us.
1 John tells us that we love because God first loved us. For us to know love, joy
and peace with God it is critical that we grasp the significance of the gospel of
Christ and the love of God in Christ for us personally and uniquely.
Personal Reflection
- God desires a love relationship with you. How do you know that God loves you
personally?
- In what ways does God demonstrate His love to you?
- Have you ever tried to earn God's favor in order for God to love you more? It
has been said that if love has to be earned it is not love. God cannot love you
any more or any less than He does right now. What is your response to His love
today?
- Today, to make God's love for you more real, tell a close friend about God's
great love for you.
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