Bear Fruit

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

I remember being a young lad on a Sunday morning and first hearing the phrase “bear fruit.” My wild imagination immediately conjured images of a huge grizzly munching on blackberries, and I marveled at the genius of God’s creation!

But we of course know that bears aren’t the subject written of here, but rather the reality of the Christian life. Praise God for His son Jesus Christ, and for the salvation won once and for all for believers! But what happens after we’ve confessed and believed? Maybe you’re like me, and you’ve wondered before, “Okay, now what?”

We are called to live transformed lives in Christ, and thankfully we are gifted a helpful gauge on the journey of following Him. Galatians 5:22-23 outlines the “fruit” that we can expect to produce when we’re living a Spirit-filled life. This is contrasted just a few verses prior, in Galatians 5:19-21, with the “clear results,” as Paul terms it, of a life lived in sinful nature.

We won’t always be perfect. We will continually need to rely on the freely given grace of God to see these “fruits” come to fruition. But we can breathe a bit easier knowing that we have these guidelines to help us walk with Christ as we serve the Kingdom!