Over the past weeks, we reviewed the nine spiritual principles of the Fruit of the Spirit. Apostle Paul shared them with the Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). We see their holiness and how the Holy Spirit manifest them in our walk in Christ.

It’s not by accident that love leads the way. Indeed, love is the top priority. Yes, it is because it’s God’s two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). The other eight fruit of the Spirit fosters and grows out of love.

For example, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, and gentleness are byproducts of love. They feed off love and show others God’s incredible affection towards humanity. Love also provides us with patience, faithfulness, and self-control.

Self-Examination

Apostle Paul tells us:

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

2 Corinthians 13:5

And Disciple Peter put it this way:

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:10-11

One of the ways I examine myself and know Christ is within me is how much of the fruit of the Spirit shows up in my daily life. They are the measuring stick to my Christian conviction showing others the miracle God gives to those who confess Christ as the Savior and believe God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

When God brought me out of the spiritual darkness and into His saving Light, it stopped sin’s domination. He transformed me from the passions of the flesh to faith in the blood of Christ. Jesus awakened me to God’s existence, and the Holy Spirit engulfed me with God’s truth. And from this reality, the fruit of the Spirit emerged.

Today and as the result of God’s gift of salvation, the fruit of the Spirit becomes a vital part of my spiritual existence. The more I draw closer to God and live Christ-like, the better I become at living those nine divine attributes.

I do fall short of living in the fruit of the Spirit. Some days the best I can do is to survive the twenty-four-hour period. In other words, I sin and cause those around me discomfort. In these times of disobedience, my conscience becomes disturbed, and the Holy Spirit steps in and convinces me to repent. And the moment I confess my transgressions to God, He shows mercy through forgiveness.

In conclusion, the fruit of the Spirit is as vital to our spiritual lives as food and water to our physical survival. Without them, we cannot produce fruit favorable to God’s standard. The neat revelation of this fruit is we don’t have to walk in the Spirit alone. No, we have God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and other believers to help us live according to the Father’s statutes.