December 3, 2024

In Christ we find freedom from sin.  Not just forgiveness for sin, but freedom from sin.  The reality is that for the Christian sin is not necessary in our lives.  We have freedom to do what is right and lives for Christ.  We are not slaves to sin anymore. Though we will face temptations in life we know that God also gives us the ability to stand firm through his help.  This does not mean that it is easy, but it is possible to choose obedience in our lives.  We can seek God and overcome sin by his grace and with his help.

The fruit of the Spirit is something that a lot of people can list.  There are things to remember about this fruit.  First, the goal is not to specialize in one fruit of the Spirit, but rather we need to be seeking all of these in my life.  It is not a list to find one you can do well and ignore the rest.  Rather, it is a seeking to have all of these characteristics both in our lives and increasing.   The second thing to keep in mind is that they are the fruit of the Spirit.  They are not things that we just develop by our own hard work.  Rather, we need the Holy Spirit working in us to help us to show these fruits in our life.  That should be encouraging to us.  It is a reminder that the works of the flesh come by our own efforts, but the fruit of the Spirit comes from God's effort where we grow by His help.  The pressure is not on for us to figure out how to develop these on our own.  Rather, the best way we grow in the fruit of the Spirit is coming to the realization of our shortcomings in this area and seeking God's help to make us to grow.  The struggle with sin is real and the development of the fruit of the Spirit takes time.  We will not be perfect this side of Heaven, but when we examine our lives over time, we should be able to see clear progress and growth.  Who wouldn't want to spend time with someone who displays the fruit of the Spirit?  What is keeping you from becoming a fruitful person?