Week One: Day Six
The Story
The best and worst things in life are often results of people and our interactions with them. Matt has three sisters and one brother. He is closest to his brother who is only one year younger than him.
Matt, being the first born male, seemed to have his life together. Jonah, Matt’s younger brother, was quite the opposite. He was always getting into trouble and never seemed to be interested in doing what Matt considered to be the right thing.
As any two brothers who were close, Matt and Jonah fought hard but loved each other even harder. There was very little that could separate their brotherly love.
It happened again. Jonah lost his job that he didn’t really care for anyway and needed money to make rent. He did not want to speak to his parents about it. As in many times before, he came to Matt for a loan. He said he was certain to pay it back, but Matt had heard this many times before.
What Matt didn’t know this time was that the money Jonah needed was not for rent but rather to pay back a gamer friend of his for the latest gaming system.
It was Matt’s oldest sister Holly who came to Matt telling him she thought Jonah needed the money for the gaming system. It was at this point that Matt lost it. He was tired of being taken advantage of. Love can only go so far, or so he thought.
When Matt confronted Jonah, typically Jonah would fight back, but something in him crumbled before him. It was as if Jonah had met a breaking point. As Jonah’s tears filled his eyes, Matt’s heart broke. It was there, for the first time, that Matt saw Jonah as a person and not just his brother. Compassion replaced disdain and disappointment. Matt new that his new assignment with Jonah was to be patient and to help Jonah overcome. He had been learning about the nine fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians. He knew now that he was learning about forbearance.
The Devotion
Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Jesus said that you can know a tree by its fruit [Matthew 7:15-20]. He was referring to false prophets. A false prophet is someone who appears to be speaking for God, but is truly speaking by his/her own volition. Therefore, it’s not by someone’s words that you can judge intention, but rather by the fruit shown in their life. Discerning who to trust can be a tricky game these days. Because of the internet, everyone can easily have a voice. Thank God for Galatians 5:22-23 that clearly defines for us what to be looking for in the fruit or character of a speaker or columnist.
In Holiness by Mark Rutland, he remarks that “the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is the composite moral picture of Jesus.” The Christian life will bear witness, or the fruit, of Jesus. Just like how an apple tree cannot bear figs, in that it would be a fig tree, the spirit of the tree is found within its fruit. It’s why the tree exists. Without the fruit of the tree, pollination wouldn’t occur. Its life cycle would be cut short and it would die. It is the same way with the Christian life and the fruit of the Spirit.
The nine things listed in the fruit of the Spirit are all actions. They each have verb tenses that can and should be used. They are not just to be studied like chemistry or even philosophy. They are meant to be strapped into place and utilized daily.
Forbearance may be most unusual of all the words in this list. To forbear is to restrain. One of the fruits of the Spirit is literally to not do something. This is restraint from being annoyed; restraint from belittling. God has written that we are to be careful with our words and actions. Others matter and by not saying something you may be better off than rephrasing what you may have said to be less offensive.
Self-control is under attack today. There is a general stigma around saying that someone should behave in a certain and defined-for-millennia way. To say that someone should show personal self-control rather than indulging in every desirable vice is Biblical. In fact, showing self-control and discipline produces (bears the fruit of) character. Remember, your character is the only thing you will take with you into heaven.
The fruit of the Spirit was not proposed as a reprimand. Rather, it is available to us as guardrails. These fruits are well attributed ways to live the best life that God has for you. There are nine in the list. If you take nine days to apply each one to your life you will bear fruit. There is no way not to. Just like if you plant an apple tree seed in good soil, water it, and provide enough sunlight, eventually it’s going to produce apples.
Do your best to bear fruit today. Use the fruit of the Spirit to help you become a discerner of the true and false. The results are always positive.
The Bible
Galatians 5 | Proverbs 25 | 2 Peter 1
The Prayer
“Dear Lord Jesus, may my life bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I know that I must tend each of these regularly to keep them growing. Help me to always see others as you see them. Each one is made in Your image with a purpose and plan of their own. Give me Your eyes to see and Your ears to hear. I offer my life to You as a living sacrifice. May it be holy and pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
