Dear friends,
We visited Silliman University, considered as a sister school of Central Philippine University, this weekend as they started the celebration of their 118th University Founder’s Day. Their theme is “Living the Fruit of the Spirit by Grace.”
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”
What can we learn from these verses?
First, it is only if we are rooted in Jesus Christ that we can produce the fruit of the Spirit.
If our lives are rooted in our sinful nature, then the fruit will be the following: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Let us check the manifestations of our lives if we are rooted in Christ or rooted in our sinful nature.
Second, the fruit of the Spirit includes all, and not just one or two.
It should be noted that the word used by Paul here is “fruit” and not “fruits.” It simply means that if the Holy Spirit is in our lives, it should manifest not just love but also joy; not just peace but also patience, kindness, and goodness; it should show not just faithfulness but also gentleness, and self-control.
Third, no force on Earth or any law can go against the fruit of the Spirit.
Paul boldly declared, “Against such things, there is no law.” This tells us that even if we make man-made laws that will block the fruit of the Spirit, it will still find a way to manifest itself. As such, let our lives be a channel to spread the fruit of the Spirit and not a fence that blocks it.
Let us live a spirit-filled life!
Sincerely,
Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on