“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Fruitless!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at the fruit of the Spirit list and felt woefully inadequate. Occasionally, I’d go so far as to think to myself, “Well, I’m doing OK on most of these; maybe I’m an OK Christian.” Hmmm… The problem with that kind of thinking isn’t even so much pride, but rather the whole focus.

The enemy of our souls loves to trounce us heartily in the arena of our “less than perfect behavior.” Throw in some “measuring of ourselves against others” and we are completely and totally defeated. We often tend to forget that the precious blood of Jesus covers every one of our shortcomings from now into eternity (even bad fruit!)

But what about the day we can’t even claim one of those delicious fruits to our name? Oh, yes, I’ve had those days—days where I’ve got nothing to give but a worm-filled apple. Yuck. That’s when we have to take the bull by the horns and stand on the Word of God.

The Bible is full of instruction on how a Christian should act, and we would do well to study every aspect and do our best to incorporate it into our lives. But I know myself too well, and often have to recheck to see if I’ve stumbled into a “works” mindset—“good behavior” is a close cousin to works and performance, trying to earn favor with God.

Oh, yes, it’s fruitless all right—fruitless to think we can bear spiritual fruit on our own. I’m still learning to yield to the Holy Spirit and surrender and let Him work this fruit through me and right on out to others. If I go on my own performance, I’m sunk, because sooner or later, I run out of whatever fruit I think I may have at the time.

Galatians 6:3-4 tells us, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”

“Dear Jesus, help us remember to examine our own works, yet see them for what they are—acts of love, not bargaining tools. Help us yield sweet, delectable fruit, as we yield ourselves to Your Holy Spirit. ‘Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts’ (Zechariah 4:6). Amen!”