The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The fruits of the Holy Spirit are indicators of the Holy Spirit in our life. The fruit of our life is what we produce of our life. Does our life produce in us anger, laziness, jealousy, wrath, pride, and vanity? Or does our life produce peace, joy, kindness, patience, and love?

Many times we can tell what the fruit of our lives are by our reactions.

Here is a part of the Bible that explains what the good fruits and bad fruits are in our lives:

Galatians 5: 19-26: Now the works of the flesh are obvious: [bad fruits] immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit [good fruits] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.” 

Good fruit comes from having God in our lives. Our reactions, or the fruit of our life, is a good indicator of how much we need to invite God into our life. If we are inviting God into our lives every day we will start to see the good fruit in our lives! We can invite God into our life every day by praying every day. In prayer, we can become closer to God and we can learn how to react with the Love of God!

We will be known by our fruits! If we have good fruits, we will be known as Christians and Disciples!

Matthew 7:15-20 :

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”

There are twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit:

• Love- To love God above all things and to love others as God calls us to.
• Joy- This is more than just being happy. It is a feeling awakened by the possession or expectation of something good. And this joy can be present deep within us even when things don’t go our way.
• Peace- The serenity and tranquility that flows from order. The world can make our lives disordered and chaotic. God wants to bring order to our lives- and with that comes a deep and abiding peace.
• Patience- Enables us to endure inconvenience, difficulties, and hardship without complaint.
• Kindness- Concern for others who are in trouble or in need.
• Goodness- Doing what is good and right in every circumstance.
• Generosity- To give freely of our time, talent, and treasure beyond what justice requires.
• Gentleness- To be submissive to God and considerate of others.
• Faithfulness- To be reliable and trustworthy with others and to remain close to God even in the midst of trials.
• Modesty- The moderation of our speech, dress, and behavior.
• Self-Control- The control of our desires so that we can focus them on what is good and right.
• Chastity- The moderation of desire for sexual pleasure according to right reason, faith, and state in life