Strength for the Journey – Day 20
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
Strength for the Journey
40 Scriptures to Shape Your Faith
Day 20 | Galatians 5:22-23
Strength for the Journey
40 Scriptures to Shape Your Faith
Day 20 | Galatians 5:22-23
Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (NASB)
Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the FRUIT of the Spirit. Notice: it's FRUIT — singular. The Spirit produces a UNIFIED, organic harvest. ALL nine qualities develop TOGETHER.
Think about an apple tree. Does it STRIVE to produce apples? Does it wake up and say, "Today I'm going to try REALLY hard to grow some fruit"? Of course not. Apples grow NATURALLY because the tree is rooted in good soil.
The same is true spiritually. You can't manufacture joy by trying harder. You can't summon patience by gritting your teeth. Fruit GROWS from abiding. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do NOTHING." (John 15:5)
So HOW do we abide? By spending TIME with Jesus, reading His Word, praying, worshiping, and serving. The more we stay CONNECTED to the Vine, the more the Spirit cultivates His character within us.
JOY and HAPPINESS are synonyms, by the way. (Other synonyms include gladness, bliss, blessedness, and elation.) So when the Spirit produces joy in us, that INCLUDES happiness! Don't let anyone tell you that Christians aren't supposed to be happy. The fruit of the Spirit literally INCLUDES it!
Let me ask: which of these nine qualities (fruit) is most lacking in your life right now? Don't try HARDER to produce it. Instead, draw CLOSER to Jesus. The fruit will FOLLOW.
Quote: "The fruit of the Spirit is not something we produce; it is something we bear. We don't make fruit; we abide in the Vine."
— John Stott
Prayer: Holy Spirit, please produce Your fruit in my life. As I abide in Christ, cultivate love, joy, and peace within me. Make my life a reflection of JESUS. Amen.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (NASB)
Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the FRUIT of the Spirit. Notice: it's FRUIT — singular. The Spirit produces a UNIFIED, organic harvest. ALL nine qualities develop TOGETHER.
Think about an apple tree. Does it STRIVE to produce apples? Does it wake up and say, "Today I'm going to try REALLY hard to grow some fruit"? Of course not. Apples grow NATURALLY because the tree is rooted in good soil.
The same is true spiritually. You can't manufacture joy by trying harder. You can't summon patience by gritting your teeth. Fruit GROWS from abiding. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do NOTHING." (John 15:5)
So HOW do we abide? By spending TIME with Jesus, reading His Word, praying, worshiping, and serving. The more we stay CONNECTED to the Vine, the more the Spirit cultivates His character within us.
JOY and HAPPINESS are synonyms, by the way. (Other synonyms include gladness, bliss, blessedness, and elation.) So when the Spirit produces joy in us, that INCLUDES happiness! Don't let anyone tell you that Christians aren't supposed to be happy. The fruit of the Spirit literally INCLUDES it!
Let me ask: which of these nine qualities (fruit) is most lacking in your life right now? Don't try HARDER to produce it. Instead, draw CLOSER to Jesus. The fruit will FOLLOW.
Quote: "The fruit of the Spirit is not something we produce; it is something we bear. We don't make fruit; we abide in the Vine."
— John Stott
Prayer: Holy Spirit, please produce Your fruit in my life. As I abide in Christ, cultivate love, joy, and peace within me. Make my life a reflection of JESUS. Amen.
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