Christian Message Boards: fruit of the Spirit

This is topic fruit of the Spirit in forum Bible Topics & Study at Christian Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://thechristianbbs.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005507

Posted by barrykind (Member # 35) on :

April 2, 2008
Good morning Friend!

Today's meditation is taken from:
The Secret of Spiritual Power
by Chip Brogden

http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/articles/know.html

"The fruit of the Spirit is... meekness" (Galatians 5:22,23ff).

God's power is not revealed to us when we are proud, but when we are humble. Any demonstration of "power" manifesting itself through a proud man or a proud woman is, quite simply, not from God and cannot be trusted. Spiritual gifts may be counterfeited, but spiritual fruit cannot be faked. We will know the false from the true by their fruit, not their gifts (Matthew 7:20). Meekness is an essential quality of spiritual fruit. Gifts may accompany fruit, but gifts may never substitute for fruit.

Chip

Posted by becauseHElives (Member # 87) on :

In Colossians 3:12, Paul urges us “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,” to clothe ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

This shows that the fruit of the Spirit needs our cooperation for its development.

Some have said, “Don’t worry about the fruit. Just bask in the sunlight of His love, enjoy the rain of His blessing, and the fruit will automatically appear.”

But it does not work that way.

We have to put to death the works of the flesh.

We have to take to ourselves the fruit of the Spirit and exercise our faith to develop them (Compare 2 Peter 1:5–11).