To “walk in the Spirit” is to bring forth the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience),
gentleness, goodness (kindness), faith, meekness (humbleness), and temperance
(self-control) (Gal. 5: 22, 23). Thus, fruit-bearers are more spirit than flesh.
We know this because juxtaposed of the fruit of the Spirit, are the works of
the flesh. Some of these works are hatred, jealousies, outburst of anger,
selfish ambitions, envy, murders, and drunkenness*.
Jesus said we would know fruit-bearers by the fruit they
displayed (Matt. 7:20; 12:33). One example from an earlier Christian generation
was our elderly, who displayed full-fruited lives of patience, gentleness, and
humbleness.
Unfortunately, spiritual fruit are oftentimes not
appreciated or recognized by today’s flesh-bearing Christians. The reason is in
our hearts. A Christian, whose heart is filled with jealousy against another,
will speak badly against the one they are envious of because of the abundance
of evil the heart contains (Matt. 12:34 NKJV).
Thus, to display the fruit of the Spirit is our responsibility
as Christians. And if we think we have a choice in this matter, then we’ve
forgotten we’ve been bought with a price and our lives are no longer our own (1
Cor. 6:20). Clearly, Jesus required fruit-bearing:
You did not choose Me, but I chose you
and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should
remain… (John 15:16 NKJV)
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