Fruit of the Spirit Always in Season

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23 

Do you want to be more loving?  More joyful?  How about an extra dose of peace or patience?  I hope we all do!  But how? 

Time after time, I have made up my mind to be a better person, to try harder to love my wife, my kids, my neighbors, and my Lord.  More than once I’ve committed myself to show more joy- to “live on the sunny side of life” and not be overly critical or negative.  In the midst of the storm, I’ve tried to keep some level of peace and let go of the worry.  And patience?  I can’t count the number of times I’ve told myself to be more patient. Why is it that willpower alone doesn’t form love, joy, peace, patience, and so forth? 

The Fruit of the Spirit is grown in a more indirect way.  For Christians, fruit is developed as we remain connected to Lord.  Growth in Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, produces the fruit of Godly character.  The question is not how hard are we trying?  The question is, how connected are we? On Sunday we began a sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and we’ll explore the work of the Spirit in our lives for the next 8 weeks.  This week is JOY!  Come, and be blessed.

 Pastor Daniel