A Fruitful Life

Galatians 5:22-23^NKJV – ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Most of us have memorized this scripture as is, but I was amazed to read the Amplified version of Galatian 5 on the Fruit of the Spirit and wanted to share it with you.  Verse 22 ministered to me right away as it begins with “But the fruit of the Spirit (the result of His presence within us) is” and the scripture goes on to list the fruit.  Let us look at it together.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The explanations alone found in these parathesis encourage you to study these verses, but there are two things I wish to highlight today:

1. There are many teachings to reveal that the word fruit is singular, therefore the words listed (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) are all contained together in that one word “fruit”.
2. As Christians we believe that when we are born again that Jesus lives within us. Yet, this amplified translation exploded within me when I saw the parenthesis explaining that the fruit of the Spirit is the result of His presence within us.

This resonated with me because so many of us are trying to persuade God that we are doing our best for Him, yet we are feeling like failures.  This verse tells us there is no need to try, no need for struggling.  We only need to fill up with JESUS daily:

Through His Word and

Through prayer and

Through praise and worship!

• An intimate relationship with Jesus will develop and enhance the fruit within us.
• Spending time in His presence accomplishes His work within us.

Galatians 5:25^AMP – If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. 

Being mindful that it is the “fruit of the SPIRIT”, it is God’s Holy Spirit that gives us the power we need to develop and cultivate the fruit to live the life HE intends.  So, may we rest in His presence, may we allow His love to lead us to live a fruitful life.

Jesus taught His disciples about bearing fruit in:

John 15:4-5a^AMP – ⁴ Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. ⁵ I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit

Please take the time to read John 15 for further study.  Until then…

Be at peace, for God is working in each of us

 to live a fruitful life!  Glory to His Name!

Notes:

1. If you are new to this blog, please understand that I have a ministry in discipleship, so I challenge you and encourage you to grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. All scripture is taken from NKJV unless otherwise noted.
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