But the Fruit of the Spirit is...

One of the better aspects of summer is fruit. Cherries are my favourite, and every year I eat too much the first time I buy them but a close second (and third and fourth) in my favourite list are watermelon, blueberries and peaches. I love fruit pie but I prefer to eat the fruit au naturel .

The true Christian experience – to walk by the Spirit – is intended to produce fruit. Fruit is the outcome of life lived. We all produce some sort of fruit whether you live by the Spirit or not. The sinful nature is bound to the law and is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit* which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. This fruit is not any under law because it supersedes the law. When and what areas you produce this fruit, there is no longer any accusation.

Although there are nine aspects of the fruit, it is only one fruit. They cannot be separated.

Over the next 9 regular weekday posts, I’ll be exploring the fruit of the Spirit and what it means to exhibit these in the Christian life. 

*I learned a trick to remembering all 9 of the fruit of the Spirit and I want to pass it onto you – some of you may already know it. There are nine parts, divided into 3 equal groups. The first group has one syllable and everything always starts with love, then joy and peace. The next group has two syllables – patience, kindness, and goodness. Finally, the third group has three syllables – faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Add one more line, “Against such things, there is no law,” and you’ve memorized Galatians 5:22-23 with hardly any effort.