Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

“The fruit of the Spirit’s not a coconut. If you wanna be a coconut, you might as well hear it: you can’t be a fruit of the Spirit.”

Okay, I know it's a silly song, but I can promise you that, because of that song, I’ll never forget a single fruit from that list. I can tell you all of them: love, joy, peace, patience (longsuffering), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Didn’t even have to look to double-check. I know them like the back of my hand. Yet, somehow, knowing them by heart doesn’t mean that they always come naturally to me.

Truly living out every one of these fruits can be challenging. I feel like often we justify the fruits that we struggle with by saying things like this: “I just have no self-control in those situations, but that’s my one vice” or “Well, God just didn’t make me a patient person, and God made me just how He wanted me.” We say these things as if they are concrete truths that we just can't do anything about. We become okay with our problem areas because we are “mostly good”. I mean, isn’t 75% better than nothing? Well, not really. If you reread verses 22 and 23, you’ll see that God doesn’t call us to some of these fruits, or just the ones we are good at. He calls us to all of them. Even when they are hard. Even when we are tested to the extreme.

This doesn’t mean that we are going to be perfect, nor should ever expect ourselves to be, but it does mean that living out the fruits of the Spirit requires intentionality and practice. As Paul states in verse 25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” I love that word, “in.” Paul could’ve said “Walk with the Spirit” or “Walk beside the Spirit” but, he didn’t. To walk “in” the Spirit sets the expectation. If we are fully in something, we are consumed by it. We are allowing ourselves to absorb everything we can and are now becoming as much a part of whatever we are “in” as we possibly can be. Paul goes even further by stating that we are called to “walk in the Spirit.” Not lounge. Not skip around for a minute and then jump out. Walking implies that we are steady and consistent, daily fixing our eyes on Jesus and deepening our connection with Him. If we are walking in the Spirit, our hearts are consistently ready to practice each of these fruits. Being intentional about them becomes much easier and a much more natural posture for us.

As we wrap up this week of devotions, I want to bring this full circle for you. We’ve spent a lot of time over these last few days talking about freedom and bondage. When it comes to these fruits, I think it can be so easy to see them as a list of rules of what a “good Christian” might do or be. Some might even view this list as restrictive. In reality, this list is the key to breaking our chains. When we allow the Holy Spirit to grow these fruits in us, we watch as they transform our lives. We are no longer bound by our own doing and fully embrace what the Lord has for us. No longer does our impatience, addiction, anger, bitterness, or depression define us.

We are free.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Which fruit of the Spirit do you struggle with the most? In what ways have you justified your weakness in these areas?
• How can you intentionally practice the fruits that are a struggle for you?
  
• How have your weak areas affected your relationship with the Lord and others?
  
• List some fruits that you believe are strengths for you. How can you use these strengths to encourage others to grow in these areas?
  
• Prayer: Lord, I know that You have called me to show all of these fruits, not just the ones that come easily for me. I thank You for the freedom that You provide in these fruits of the Spirit. I’m sorry for how I have justified my weaknesses and allowed them to cause separation from You and others. I pray that You help me to be intentional about practicing these fruits daily by drawing near to You so that I can walk in the ways that You have for me. Lord, give me opportunities to share my areas of strength to bless and encourage those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.