“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23, NLT
Heartache and pain is part of life.
It can either bring us closer to the One who can transform the difficulties of life into fruit, or it can make us bitter, angry, and full of resentment. For a large portion of my life, I chose the latter. I had no peace in my heart, or patience, faithfulness and self-control, for that matter. I let the hurts of the world define who I was and what my heart would produce.
God changed all of that. I am a child of God. We are all sons and daughters of God because of what Jesus has done for us. He came as one of us, in the flesh, to die for our sins, shedding His own perfect blood as the sacrifice for all time. He has given us the right to be His children and heirs of His Kingdom. It is in His unfailing and unending Grace (undeserved, forever faithful love) that we find our true existence: forgiven, redeemed, and beloved.
Your identity now resides in His love—His perfect, unconditional, and forever faithful love. It is only through Christ Jesus that your hurts from this world can be transformed into fruit of His Spirit. It is through Him alone that you can know you’re loved and that you are able to love others.
Are you finding your identity in your relationship with God or in the things of this world?
Heavenly Father, we come before You today with a humble and repentant heart, seeking You and only You. Fill us with Your love so we may overflow with the fruit of Your Spirit. Let it transform our hearts and spill over on to all we interact with in. Amen.
Thought: Identify anything that is preventing you from truly receiving God’s love deeply and passing it on. Ask Him to remove any fear, bitterness, and pain you’ve been carrying and to instead give you His Spirit of truth so your life will become more fruitful.
By Daniel Forster
Used by Permission
FURTHER READING
• Fruit of the Spirit by Gail Rodgers
• Blessing of the Fruit of the Spirit – by Sylvia Gunter
• Fruit of Joy – by Sylvia Gunter
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