Bishop Keith Butler
Mar 25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
As Christians, we are called to mature in our faith.
Some people believe that their ability to do great things or their track record in how many people follow them or even the talent they show from the stage shows the maturity of a Christian. These are all poor ways to measure spiritual development. Maturity does not come as we do more, but rather it comes as we develop in the fruits of the Spirit.
The first aspect that is mentioned of the fruit of the Spirit is love, and it is the foundation upon which all the other aspects grow. The agape, or God type of love, is to love as God loves. Joy, peace, long-suffering gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance all come from someone who has purposely developed their love walk with God and others.
You might think you need more love, but the truth is, you don’t. In fact, you don't need more of any of these parts of the fruit of the Spirit. They are already inside you right now. You don’t need to pray for joy or patience, you already have them. Tap into what God already gave you and purpose to use it.
Your ability to operate in the fruit of the Spirit gives you access to the gifts of the Spirit. The fuller you are of joy, meekness, and faith, the more the gifts of healing and other gifts will manifest as you walk in love.
Just as a tree bears fruit according to whatever its nature is, you and I, as children of God, are called to display the same fruit that He displays.
It's important to surround yourself with people who see the development of the fruit of the Spirit as a primary goal for their lives. If you don’t surround yourself with those pursuing God, you will find yourself half-heartedly serving Him. Get in church, find Christian friends, get involved in serving, and make it a point to encourage others as they are developing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.