Kingdom ComeSample

PRAYER:

God, help me stay connected to you today. 

READING:

It’s easy to misread these verses in Galatians. They are often misquoted as saying “fruits” of the Spirit. It might seem like Paul is giving us a list of different, unconnected characteristics that will present in the life of a Jesus follower. But Paul doesn’t say “fruits;” he specifically says “fruit.” He uses the singular noun. So, what is Paul saying here?

Eighteenth-century theologian Jonathan Edwards taught about this idea, saying, “… It appears that all the graces of Christianity are concatenated and linked together, so as to be mutually connected and mutually dependent.”

“Concatenated” is a cool, eighteenth-century way of saying “all the graces of Christianity” are chained or joined together. This means we can’t just grow in one or two areas and leave the rest untouched. If it is genuine spiritual growth, all these characteristics will grow simultaneously. 

This is important to understand; otherwise, it’s easy to read this as a to-do list— or a “to-be” list. We feel pressure to somehow create these characteristics through willpower and effort. Based on our temperaments and personalities, some of these attributes may come easily. But others feel impossible—and we may be tempted to think God isn’t interested in changing those parts of us.

But if we’re talking about fruit, not fruits, there is symmetry to our growth. You can’t have joy without love, peace without gentleness, goodness without self-control—at least not in the lasting way God wants these graces in your life. They are all connected and grow alongside each other. They are not separate fruits, but different aspects of the same fruit, the fruit that grows only by God’s power when we live in connection with him.

So, don’t be discouraged by how you stack up with each of these character traits—it’s not a to-do list for you to complete. It is God giving you a sneak peek at the work he is committed to doing in your life as you walk with him. 

REFLECTION

This fruit of the Spirit grows by remaining connected to the source, the vine itself, which is Jesus. As you think about this word picture, what is the current condition of the soil of your heart? Is it dry or well-hydrated? Easily tilled or tightly compacted? Is there anything else planted there that competes with Jesus having his way in your life?

Invite God to move in your heart in a fresh way and ask him to show you what it would look like to remain constantly rooted in and dependent on his love.