Embodying the Fruits of the Spirit

Devotional

Day 1: Patience as Trustful Endurance

Patience is not merely waiting but involves active endurance, trusting in God's timing and purposes. It requires a conscious effort to eliminate hurry from our lives, as impatience often stems from a hurried lifestyle. By slowing down and trusting God, we can cultivate patience in our relationships and interactions. This form of patience is a Christ-like reaction to life's challenges, allowing us to respond with grace and understanding. It is about embracing the process and trusting that God's plan is unfolding in His perfect timing. [56:44]

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" (Psalm 37:7, ESV)

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you feel rushed or impatient. How can you intentionally slow down and trust in God's timing today?

Day 2: Kindness as Intentional Compassion

Kindness goes beyond mere niceness; it is an intentional, selfless action rooted in love and compassion. It challenges us to extend kindness even when it is inconvenient or undeserved, reflecting God's character. By practicing kindness in everyday moments, we can soften our hearts towards those who are difficult to love. This active compassion mirrors the way Jesus lived, offering healing, forgiveness, and love to all, regardless of their circumstances. [01:07:21]

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." (Zechariah 7:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who is difficult to love. What is one specific act of kindness you can extend to them today?

Day 3: Goodness as Moral Integrity

Goodness involves doing what is right, even at a personal cost. It is about aligning our actions with God's standards and standing firm in Christ. This virtue challenges us to make decisions that prioritize integrity over personal gain, reflecting God's goodness in our lives. Goodness is not just about avoiding wrong but actively choosing to do what is right, even when it is difficult or unpopular. [01:11:55]

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." (Proverbs 10:9, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent decision you made. Did it align with God's standards of goodness? How can you ensure your future choices reflect moral integrity?

Day 4: Living by the Spirit

Living by the Spirit means aligning ourselves with God's will, allowing the Spirit to guide and govern us. This requires vigilance, obedience, and sometimes repentance. As we embody the fruits of the Spirit, we become "little Jesuses," reflecting God's love and gifting Christ to others. This transformation is an intentional choice to reflect God in our daily lives, allowing His Spirit to produce the needed fruit in us. [01:15:36]

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:25-26, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to be more vigilant in allowing the Spirit to guide you? What steps can you take today to align more closely with God's will?

Day 5: The Power of Humility and Kindness

Staying humble and kind is an intentional choice to reflect God in our daily lives. By embodying patience, kindness, and goodness, we not only transform ourselves but also gift Christ to others, becoming a light in dark places. This transformation is not passive but requires a conscious effort to live out these virtues daily, impacting those around us with God's love. [01:16:24]

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a situation where you can choose humility over pride. How can you intentionally practice humility and kindness in that situation today?

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Sermon Summary

In our exploration of what the world needs now, we turn to Galatians 5, focusing on the fruits of the Spirit: patience, kindness, and goodness. These virtues are not just ideals but are action-oriented fruits that reflect God's character and are essential for our interactions with others. Our special song, "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw, beautifully encapsulates these virtues, reminding us to live a life that aligns with the Spirit's fruits. The song, written by Lori McKenna as a prayer for her children, emphasizes simple yet profound actions like holding the door open and saying thank you, which mirror the biblical truths of living a holy life.

Patience, as described, is not passive waiting but active endurance, trusting in God's timing and purposes. It is a Christ-like reaction to all that is maddening, requiring us to eliminate hurry from our lives to cultivate this fruit. Kindness, on the other hand, is active compassion and benevolence, a God-like characteristic that Jesus modeled through healing, feeding, and forgiving. It challenges us to extend kindness even when it is inconvenient or undeserved. Goodness involves moral integrity and doing what is right, even at a personal cost. It is about standing firm in Christ and aligning our actions with God's standards.

Living by the Spirit means being drawn up in line with God's will, allowing the Spirit to guide and govern us. This requires vigilance, obedience, and sometimes repentance. As we strive to embody these fruits, we become "little Jesuses," reflecting God's love and gifting Christ to others. This transformation is not passive but an intentional choice to reflect God in our daily lives. As we go forth, let us embrace these virtues, staying humble and kind, and allowing the Spirit to produce the needed fruit in our lives.

Key Takeaways

1. Patience as Active Endurance: Patience is not about passively waiting but actively enduring by trusting in God's timing and purposes. It requires us to eliminate hurry from our lives, as impatience often stems from a hurried lifestyle. By slowing down and trusting God, we can cultivate patience in our relationships and interactions. [56:44]
2. Kindness as Active Compassion: Kindness is more than being nice; it is an intentional, selfless action rooted in love and compassion. It challenges us to extend kindness even when it is inconvenient or undeserved, reflecting God's character. By practicing kindness in everyday moments, we can soften our hearts towards those who are difficult to love. [67:21]
3. Goodness as Moral Integrity: Goodness involves doing what is right, even at a personal cost. It is about aligning our actions with God's standards and standing firm in Christ. This virtue challenges us to make decisions that prioritize integrity over personal gain, reflecting God's goodness in our lives. [71:55]
4. Living by the Spirit: Living by the Spirit means aligning ourselves with God's will, allowing the Spirit to guide and govern us. This requires vigilance, obedience, and sometimes repentance. As we embody the fruits of the Spirit, we become "little Jesuses," reflecting God's love and gifting Christ to others. [75:36]
5. The Power of Humility and Kindness: Staying humble and kind is an intentional choice to reflect God in our daily lives. By embodying patience, kindness, and goodness, we not only transform ourselves but also gift Christ to others, becoming a light in dark places. [01:16:24]
** [76:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Introduction to the Soul of Music Series
[02:30] - Vision Night Announcement
[04:15] - Music Trivia and Humble and Kind
[07:00] - Galatians 5: Fruits of the Spirit
[10:30] - Patience, Kindness, and Goodness
[13:45] - The Story Behind Humble and Kind
[17:00] - Colossians 3: Living a Holy Life
[20:30] - Understanding Holiness
[23:00] - Living in the Spirit
[26:00] - Patience: Active Endurance
[30:00] - Kindness: Active Compassion
[34:00] - Goodness: Moral Integrity
[38:00] - Becoming Little Jesuses
[41:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Sermon Clips

Holy means to be of another agenda, of another will that you humbly are under somebody's particular orders and you are God's. You are doing God's will. It's evident by the production of spiritual fruit in your life, of course, and it flows from our connection of God through Christ. Now, that means when we do that, that we are living in the spirit. [00:53:16] (29 seconds)

We've heard that said before. That phrase is probably a common phrase that we have heard. Live in the spirit. What exactly does it mean? How do we do that? Well, that's a military phrase. Live in the spirit. It means to be drawn up in line. Okay? It means to stand in a row at orders, you know, to show it by your lives that the spirit dwells in us and we're constantly willing to step up and participate. Participate and actually put ourself in alignment with God while we are abiding and connecting with Christ. [00:53:44] (42 seconds)

In doing so, then God utilizes that and we progressively move through sanctification with this sort of spirit guiding us, the spirit directing us, the spirit governing us. Now, that requires vigilance, doesn't it? That requires obedience. That requires some humility. Because we've got to take orders from the Heavenly Father, not just from us. But again, sometimes it even takes a lot of repentance. [00:54:25] (35 seconds)

We have to like ask God, you know, I'm sorry, and we repent of where we've missed the mark. But resulting ultimately in producing some sort of spiritual fruit in our life. And if you're like me, that doesn't always just happen naturally. The spiritual fruit. Well, that's why it's called spiritual fruit, not natural fruit. It's spiritual fruit because it's of the spirit. It's not something that naturally just happens in our lives. [00:54:49] (31 seconds)

This fruit reflects, like all the fruits, reflect God's character and who God is. God is patient towards humanity, isn't He? In 2 Peter chapter 3, it says the Lord isn't really being slow about His promise. He is being patient for your sake. For my sake. See, Jesus was patient with the disciples. He was, man, they doubted Him. They misunderstood who He was. Gosh, they abandoned Him. In the end, the patience is the Christ-like reaction to all that is bad. [00:56:44] (41 seconds)

And impatience typically comes from a hurried life. And hurry kills patience altogether. And if we want to find that patience, we need to find the patience. And if we want to find the patience, we need to find victory over being impatient or eliminating. We need to eliminate hurry from our life a lot of times. And that's hard to do in a fast-paced world. [01:01:28] (21 seconds)

John Mark Comer writes a great book, though, if you want to read that. It's called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, if you haven't read it. But I would recommend it. But there's a spiritual recipe for all of these type of fruits and maybe to help produce and actually foster them in our life. And so, we must sometimes with patience just wait on prayers to be answered. You know, that's genius, right? But we got to trust God's timing sometimes rather than just focusing on the plans we have for God. That doesn't mean we're just sitting around, but we just have to discern those things. Now, a key fruit is patience for relationships. [01:02:08] (45 seconds)

And living by the Spirit, we will notice that we will have our hearts softened for people that really don't deserve kindness. They, towards people who are difficult to love, and our hearts soften when we're living by the Spirit. And it's just really, it's a beautiful thing. And I've seen it in people. I see it all the time. It's displayed. And some people do this better than others. Now, there's a spiritual recipe for this as well. Help produce this. I think we need to practice. This in our everyday simple moments. [01:09:28] (33 seconds)

And I want to challenge us then to go today and every day after to look for one intentional way that we can actually show kindness to someone who doesn't expect it. Not deserve it, but doesn't expect it. Let's look for somebody and let's try to practice that. Maybe we need to offer ourselves a prayer. Lord, fill me with your kindness so that I can reflect. Reflect your love to others. Help me to slow down enough so I see the needs around me so I can act compassionately even if it's inconvenient to me. Teach me to be kind as you are kind. Amen. Amen. [01:10:22] (44 seconds)

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