FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Tuesday, October 02, 2018
1Thessalonians [GW]
5:16-22 … Don't put out the Spirit's fire. Don't despise what God has revealed.
Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of
evil. [Also note examples of in Revelation 2:29 thru 3:1-22, a passage
beginning and ending with “Let the person who has ears listen to what the
Spirit says to the churches."]
James 1:22-25 Do
what God's word says. Don't merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.
If someone listens to God's word but doesn't do what it says, he is like a
person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and
immediately forgets what he looks like. However, the person who continues to
study God's perfect teachings that make people free and who remains committed
to them will be blessed. People like that don't merely listen and forget; they
actually do what God's teachings say.
The fruit of the
Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
meekness, self-control; those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with
its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
proving what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather we are to reprove them. (Galatians
5:22-25; Ephesians 5:9-11. I encourage you to read all in context.)
That which is not
according to God’s Word is not good and is contrary to all goodness. Not living
in provision that God has revealed to us in Holy Scripture suppresses the fruit
of His Comforter and brings loneliness with its companion fear. This may be
acted out in a 2Timothy 3:7 seekers’ treadmill life.
Without the
Word-centered devotional life of reading, study, prayerful thought time, and
seeking application in all facets of life with implementation of His love regardless
of our feelings is to dwell apart from our John 1:12 kinfolk. Devoid of Biblical
holy exercise (1Tim.4:7-9) we will not nor will others by extension enjoy familial
fruit of the Spirit. (1Cor.7:14; Heb.4:12)
Let us not hinder
the Spirit of God by seeking fulfillment in joining associations, societies, guilds,
fraternities, clans, tribes, ethnic group, teams, troupes, troop, faction,
gangs, support groups, corporations, charitable organizations, ministries,
religions, churches, marriage, having children . . . in the hope to fill a basic need to belong;
all of which can never fully sate our hunger to actually belong for there is
only one Authorized family that can do so. (Jn.1:12)
“I belong to
Jesus, Jesus belongs to me” is an absolute purchase specification for
believers. (Rom.5:8-11) Fruitful familial fellowship is not so, for it depends
on devotion in thought, manner; instance and event. Let us beware looking to
God for heaven but to the world for fraternity; for in doing so we compromise
our John 1:12 childhood.
Our blessed
responsibility is to serve Him all our days in all ways. Join, yes, but as
service extension of our identity in God’s family, “[Living]
decent lives among unbelievers. Then, although they ridicule you as if you were
doing wrong while they are watching you do good things, they will praise God on
the day he comes to help you.” (GW 1Pet.2:12)
EBB4
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