On the days when I am not being kind to myself and lack patience, I am not “keep[ing] in step with the Spirit” and am only giving myself a portion of the fruit that God has offered me through the presence of the Holy Spirit, instead of allowing myself to enjoy the entire fruit as a whole, as He made it and intended it to be enjoyed. (Galatians 5:25)
I do not know about y’all, but, when I grocery shop, I don’t pay for a whole piece of fruit then leave pieces of it at the store only to enjoy a portion of what was paid for. Maybe you know the frustration of realizing you left behind something that you paid for. The fruit of the Spirit has already been paid for through the blood of Jesus. So, why would we act like wasteful children?
God does not want us to live off of crumbs and tiny parcels. We need to view ourselves in the full Image of God, not as reflections of this world. When we ask Him for a taste, just a tiny portion of what He has for us, He reallywants to give us the whole portion, not just a taste. He doesn’t tease us or show us tough love by making us do chores or tricks for the whole portion either. This is the free gift of the Holy Spirit to us, paid for through the blood of Jesus.
The entire portion consists of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) This is the fruit of the Spirit – one fruit. Each of the attributes together make up the fruitof the Holy Spirit and God has given us access to the sweetness of the entire portion.
Shawnee McClure
Amen sweet wonderful fruit! Thank you Holy Spirit!
Wow…. this is really great!