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 (Galatians 5:22-23)
I confessed in today’s note that I am possibly the world’s worst gardener. I’d love to be able to put a rich crop of tomatoes, potatoes and carrots on the table, but so far it has never happened, and my stinging nettle roast pork recipe is never going to be a winner. But this I know: gardening takes work (and perhaps that’s the reason for my failure). Careful cultivation is required; if all that was needed was a quick scattering of seeds, we’d all be raising prize-winning marrows; but the ground has to be turned, tended, and harvested - all of which can be very backbreaking; placing the item in the basket at Tescos is easier, if not as satisfying.
All of this talk of the ‘fruit’ of the Spirit could lead us to think that good character is given by God, and that no cultivation or work by us is required. But that’s quite wrong. While true lasting and deep character change is the work of the Holy Spirit, he calls for cooperation from us; just as a tree is not dead, but is a living carrier of the sap, so as we choose well, develop wisdom, decide to obey, and make sacrificial steps, so the fruit grows. God is at work in is; and we, as we choose discipline and self control, cooperate with that work.
And notice too that the bible talks about ‘fruit’ in the singular, and not ‘fruits’ in the plural. This is not a multiple-choice option here: ‘I want to be loving, but patience doesn’t matter much’. Rather, all of these Christlike character traits will develop in us gradually as we walk with God each day. So perhaps there are some hard, even back-breaking choices to make.
Gordon Livingstone: ’Life’s two most important questions are, ‘Why?’, and ‘Why not? The trick is knowing which one to ask’.1
But choosing well will be worth it, when beautiful character that glorifies God is formed in us through the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit.
1 Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart’, Gordon Livingstone, MD, and Elizabeth Edwards