Lesson 30
The Power of Fruit
Fruit of the Spirit - Part 1
by
Ruth Mahoney Swaim
Just as there are nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in the scripture (1 Corinthians 12), there are nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22, 23.
As stated in a previous lesson on the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Holy Trinity:
The Father
The Son
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Power and the Doer of the Godhead. So when you see anything in the scripture referring to the Holy Spirit, train your mind to think of Power and Action. He is always at work and He has unlimited power.
The obvious conclusion then is that even the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are powerful. They are fruits of the Spirit. Not our fruit...His fruit.
It should be noted here that the scripture clearly states that without the fruits of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit are as sounding brass and tinkling symbols. (I Corinthians 12:31; I Corinthians 13, the whole chapter; I Corinthians 14:1). The scripture tells us that we are to earnestly seek the best gifts and to pursue love.
Therefore, the two groups go together. We need the spiritual gifts and the fruitful gifts.
Growth of Fruit
Fruit is a result of growth. There is planting, watering, feeding, growth, pruning, more growth, more pruning, etc.
Unlike today's production practices where fruit is grown and picked before ripening, thus producing no flavor, really good fruit is vine or tree ripened, picked at its maturity and eaten with full flavor.
In these lessons on fruit we will be discussing the various fruits of the Spirit and how He (the Holy Spirit) brings the fruit to maturity and just the right flavor for picking.
Most believers think of the fruit of the Spirit as a passive list of pleasant attributes which can make others feel good and perhaps improve the quality of their own lives.
This is partially true but woefully short on the true meaning of the fruits.
The fruits of the Spirit are powerful. So powerful that if they are allowed to grow into your life you will be unstoppable.
Nothing can come against a true spiritual fruit bearer. The fruits of the Spirit can conquer any foe, either in your own life or when you touch others lives.
They are not weak. they are not vapid. They are not retreating forces. They are strong, relentless and will not fail in their mission or purpose.
If you learn to yield to Him and allow Him to cultivate the growth of fruit in your life, results will be boundless, both IN YOU and TO OTHERS.
Freedom in Fruit
The key of the book of Galatians is Freedom - freedom from the weight and burden of the law. It is not of works, but of grace. Thus, the 5th chapter of Galatians, the focal point of this study, records the power of our walking in the Spirit (5:16) and the results or the 'fruit' of that freedom.
Unlike lots of religious trappings which many try to bind us with in these days, the fruits of the Spirit give freedom. That is why the scripture states that against these there is no law. Those who want to put laws on you will usually be lacking in fruits of the Spirit. Fruits of the Spirit bring freedom, grace and mercy.
Following is the list of the Fruits of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22, 23:
Love
Joy
Peace
Long Suffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control
If you read the preceding verses in this chapter (Galatians 5) you will see the works of the flesh list of which there are 18 - double the number of fruits.
We have a lot to overcome but the fruits will overtake these if we allow them to grow. Let's see about this. In this lesson we are discussing the first fruit of the Spirit: Love.
LOVE
This has been written and preached on more than any other fruit. And, of course, it is the strongest fruit. It also encompasses all the other fruit. The attributes of Love are covered in I Corinthians 13. Please stop and read this chapter. It is short.
As just stated, love is the all-encompassing fruit. It is what holds all the other fruits of the Spirit, as well as the Gifts of the Spirit, together and makes them work.
Basically love never fails. And that is because God IS love. And God cannot fail.
God doesn't just love. God doesn't just have love. God doesn't just show love. God doesn't just give love.
God IS love.
Therefore it follows in simple reasoning and logic that the more of God you have, the more of love you will be. Lots of God...lots of Love.
Let me just state here a misconception which most people have of love.
They think that love is an aura, a sticky, gooey atmosphere emanating from someone. It is something which overlooks error, sin, bad feelings, meanness, failure and all other negative issues you can name.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Love (true Agape - unconditional) is a constant, abiding force which brought me up also out of an horrible pit out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:2.
Love is strength, constant patience which doesn't give up when failure happens. Love is faithfulness when others turn from you.
Love is the force which fights for you when you are down.
Love doesn't cover up sin. It overcomes sin.
Love doesn't excuse bad behavior. It corrects it.
Love doesn't sympathize with fear. It conquers it. Perfect love casts out fear. I John 4:18
The most basic scripture which we all learn in Sunday School describes love (and remember God IS love). For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
True love always results in giving - sacrificial giving. Giving of ourselves and giving of our substance.
Love NEVER fails. Why? Because God IS love and He cannot fail. True love will conquer any adverse circumstance. True love always puts others first. God so LOVED the world that He GAVE.
Those of you who are old enough will remember the old song:
'Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, Love lifted me.' This song, of course, is referring to the above referenced verse in Psalm 40. His love surely has lifted us out of a pit of sin, taken our feet from the miry clay of bondage and set us on a solid rock.
Growth of Love
How does love grow? Ah, thereby lies the rub.
Love only grows with challenge. True love requires sacrifice. It's easy to love the lovable. But what about the unlovely. True love grows by process, endurance, trial.
Can you endure the process of the pruning when things near and dear are being pruned out of your life? Can you withstand the hurts of the gouges and snipping you receive in an act of betrayal?
When the cold winds of adversity begin to blow in your life and your 'love' tree begins to bend against these storms, can you then allow the Holy Spirit to work that flexibility in you to return these harsh blows with endurance and no acts of recrimination?
And then after all this can you still remember that it is not your love that is growing but the love of God which is being formed in you?
This is the glory and wonder of it all.
When you have surrendered to the point of allowing the sweet incense of the Holy Spirit to pour forth then true love is being formed. When the pressing, squeezing and pruning starts to produce the sweet aroma of His love then the work of God begins to take root.
At that point He can work through you and wonderful fruit springs forth for people to taste and from which they can receive nourishment.
Ah, the wonders of sweet, tree or vine ripened fruit. Nothing like it.
After the tree has gone through the planting, the dying process of winter, the pruning...when fruit bearing time finally arrives and a sumptuous crop is hanging from the limbs of the tree with weighty fruit,what a wonder! The wonderful fruit of the Spirit is being spread and handed out from your life and others are partaking of it freely and with great joy.
True love. The love of the Holy Spirit. Let the process begin. Let it grow!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you love me and that you will always love me. Thank you that you are working your love in me. I ask you to help me surrender to your love and to give me the strength to allow you to finish the process in me which you have already started. I want to be a fruit bearing child of God. 'All that I am, all I have, all I shall ever be; cannot repay the love debt I owe; I surrender to thee.'
This teaching by Ruth Mahoney Swaim is distributed free of charge and may be reproduced and used in any form for further teaching by others.
Copyrighted only for protection from commercial use.
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