The fruit of the Spirit is an important topic for Christians.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23).
It is important for us to know how to bear the fruit of the Spirit so that we can have a healthy life and fulfill our purpose as Christians.
We get some insights into how to bear the fruit of the Spirit from Psalm 1.
“Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:1-3)
Psalm 1 talks about the blessed man. This word blessed can also mean happy. The blessed or happy man is a person who prioritizes God. When we follow God’s instructions, we will be blessed. When we don’t follow the word of God, we will be unhappy. True happiness comes from obeying God.
First, Psalms 1 tells us if we want to be blessed, we must turn away from sin. Sin leads to death. Sin does not make us happy. Psalm 1 tells us that sin can be a progression in our lives. It starts with walking in wrong ways. Then it causes a person to stand in the wrong place. It culminates with making him sit in an evil place.
Psalm 1 says sin starts with ungodliness. Then sin encourages a person to actively do evil, and finally it gets a person to scoff at good things.
God wants us to cut off sin before it takes over our lives and makes us miserable. God wants us to repent, which means to turn from sin.
Psalm 1 says if we want to be blessed, we must meditate on the word of God. This means to think about the word of God. We are instructed to think about God’s word day and night.
This is possible when we delight in God’s word. When we like doing something we will do it. If we don’t want to, we probably won’t. If we enjoy reading the Bible, then we will read it and think about it. Delighting in the Bible is the key to spending time in the Bible. Reading the word of God should be a delight, not a religious duty. If it’s not a delight, pray that God would make it a delight for you. The Holy Spirit will answer that prayer.
We need to meditate on the word of God because God’s word is the seed that will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We cannot bear fruit apart from the word of God. The word of God contains power from God in order to bring forth fruit. Jesus said those who bring forth fruit are those who have the word of God planted inside their hearts (Matthew 13:23). The word of God is planted inside us when we believe it and obey it.
Psalm 1 says the blessed person is like a tree. Trees are stable. They are not easily knocked down or trampled. Trees are strong.
We can become strong through God’s word. God’s word is an eternal seed that gives us eternal life. It makes us strong like a tree.
Psalm 1 says the blessed person is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Water in the Bible represents the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit inside us when we are born again. Then we are baptized with the Spirit. Hopefully we are filled with the Spirit again and again throughout our Christian lives. For our spiritual lives to be strong, we must draw regularly from the water of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit inside us is like an internal fountain of water (John 4:14). He said the Holy Spirit is like internal rivers of water (John 7:38). There is a way to live by the Holy Spirit that continually draws on the life of the Spirit of God inside us.This water of the Holy Spirit not only flows inside us, but it also flows inside the church. A supernatural river of the Holy Spirit flows in the city of God and makes God’s people happy (Psalm 46:4). This spiritual river is manifested when God’s people gather together in the name of Jesus, according to God’s word. When they do, Jesus is among them.
When we draw on the water of the Holy Spirit, we are abiding in Christ. When we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit, for apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5).
The fruit of the Spirit is supernatural and can only come from God. It doesn’t come from ourselves.Psalm 1 says there is a season for bearing fruit. Each of the 9 fruits of the Spirit has its own season. Sometimes there is a season in which patience is needed. The Holy Spirit will produce patience in us at that time. Sometimes there is a season of our lives in which we need joy or love. The Holy Spirit will help us produce those fruits during those seasons. By the help of God, we will bear fruit that is appropriate to each situation we are in.
Bearing fruit is vitally important for the Christian life, and we can learn a lot about it from Psalm 1.
Jesus has ordained us to bear fruit (John 15:16). He
said we need to bear fruit in order to glorify God. When we bear the fruit of the Spirit we show that we are his disciples (John 15:8). The opposite of the fruit of the Spirit is the works of the flesh. This includes all sorts of sins (Galatians 5:19-21).
When we bear the fruit of the Spirit, we show that we are walking in the Spirit.
When we do the works of the flesh, we reveal that we are walking in the flesh.
The Bible says that the flesh and Spirit are two contrary forces that are at war within each believer. Sometimes the flesh prevents us from doing what we want to do (Galatians 5:16-17).The only way for a Christian to be free from the works of the flesh is to walk in the Spirit. We need to be led by the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit means not only to be guided by the Holy Spirit, but also empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Christianity is to be a supernatural life that is lived by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not to be lived in our own strength. When we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and obey the word of God, we will experience God’s power to enable us to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When we bear this fruit, God will be glorified, others will be blessed, and we will find true happiness.
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