But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:22-23
So, as I draw close to God and spend time in His presence, He fills me with the Holy Spirit and the result of this indwelling is fruit. My roots grow deeper and wider, and the result of that growth is increased fruit. As we talked about on Friday, agape LOVE is the result of the Holy Spirit doing a work in my life. Another fruit of the Spirit living within me is JOY.
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. – Psalm 16:11
At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.” – Luke 10:21
While recently studying James’ letter, he encouraged us to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds (1:2). This is the kind of joy he was referring to – not a false joy we have to create on our own or a happy face we need to paint on to fool people, but joy that is fruit from the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Then, not only will we experience joy in the midst of trials, we will also experience PEACE.
Yesterday in our small group time, the youth group looked at Mark 4:35-41. Jesus was out in the boat with his disciples and had laid down to rest. A fierce storm came up, causing waves to break over the boat and the boat to fill with water. Consumed by their circumstances, the disciples reacted in fear. Their focus was on the storm instead of the reality that Jesus was with them and His presence is enough to help us through any storm. It’s that presence in our lives that brings peace, even in the midst of trials.
Always be full of JOY in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s PEACE, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7
As we dwell in the presence of God and live in Christ Jesus, we begin to grow because our roots are growing deeper and deeper in Him. The presence of the Spirit in our lives produces fruit out of this growth. In difficult situations, we remember the words of our Savior:
“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27
The fruit of the Holy Spirit that helps us persevere and not give into our circumstances is PATIENCE – to focus on the hope that is before us so that we can endure the moment we are living in today.
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. – Hebrews 10:35-36
We live in expectation or hope of what we will receive, confidence that persevering through difficult times is worth it. Hope is not a focus on what MIGHT happen but what must happen. Patience based on hope helps us to bear difficult circumstances because we are inspired by an expectation of what is to come. This kind of hope is inspired by our Lord Jesus and this kind of patience is a gift from the Spirit.
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 1:3
It is the filling of the Holy Spirit that releases the power of the peace that Christ gives us through the Holy Spirit. Lord, fill me with your Spirit today – give me a new and fresh infilling of your presence. And may the evidence of your Spirit in my life be characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Amen.