“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).
It can be difficult at times to faithfully practice the spiritual disciplines. Tasks like reading the Bible and prayer can all too easily take a back seat to the trivial pursuit of binge watching one’s favorite shows on television. At the end of the day, we can find ourselves frustrated and a bit drained spiritually. We’ve accomplished little, and our souls hurt greatly.
The Apostle Paul addresses faithfulness in his list of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians. These fruit are the spiritual traits of the Christian believer. These spiritual fruit are woven together in a web of faith. Therefore, love leads to joy, and joy leads to greater love. Likewise, patience leads to goodness and vice-versa. While each of these fruit is a gift from God, bestowed upon us by the Spirit of God, we can cultivate the spiritual fruit in our lives, creating an increase in their volume and vitality.
As we demonstrate faithfulness in our practice of the spiritual disciplines, our fruitfulness increases. As we read and listen to God’s word, pray, and study, the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, and all the others yield a more bountiful harvest. Faithfulness leads to fruitfulness, and fruitfulness leads to faithfulness. May we ever be faithful in the disciplines of our faith!
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