When we think about the benefits of living in God, our minds can sometimes get confused because we tend to use human standards to measure rewards. In the scripture we’ll study today, God’s standard is explained which is so much greater than any way of human thinking. 

The Fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. We’ll learn that these are the outward signs of the Holy Spirit at work within us. These nine attributes are both great ways to live our lives and at the same time are evidence of the fact that the Holy Spirit is at work in us.

There is a reason that love is the first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians. That is because love is perhaps the single greatest example of God at work in the world. Grace, which is God’s love freely given to us, is both the most powerful evidence of God’s nature and the most powerful agent for real change in us and in the world around us.

All of the remaining fruit of the Spirit are able to spread and grow because love enables them to be shared. This activity will examine the idea that love first needs to be offered to others so that we can truly experience the life changing effect that love can have on us. Like that old song says, they will know we are Christians by our love.

Rejoice under all circumstances. In the real world, with our human understanding, this is impossible, but when we walk in the Spirit it becomes reality. That is because God’s plan is perfect, and so even when there’s hurt in the short term, we can have confidence that God is working for what’s in our best interest. 

All of us will face adversity in our lives because that is the human condition. It is much less common to view life’s difficulties as an opportunity to feel joy. Life is not easy and it’s not supposed to be. Like it says in the movie A League Of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard, it’s the hard that makes it great.”

Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount… “Blessed are the peacemakers.”, but where does true peace come from? Peace comes from the Holy Spirit at work within us. We only know what peace is because it is God’s nature that is revealed through the Holy Spirit.

Peace not only looks outward through our relationship with others, but also exudes from us when we are walking closely with God. When we are at peace, both internally and externally, we are then more easily able to share love and receive love.

As a Fruit of the Spirit, patience means more than just waiting calmly; it involves endurance in difficult circumstances with unwavering faith and obedience. It’s a capacity to accept or tolerate trouble, delay or suffering without getting angry or upset. 

Patience also involves trust in God’s timing and an unwavering commitment to others, even when dealing with personal frustrations or difficult relationships.Being able to trust in God’s timetable rather than our own is a way of living that requires inner strength and strong faith in God rather than ourselves.

When we examine kindness as a Fruit of the Spirit, we quickly realize kindness is a virtue that costs nothing to practice, yet pays huge dividends in us. Kindness starts with us, is targeted at others and returns back to us in a powerful positive feedback loop.

We’ll examine the fact that we are called to practice kindness in every situation, both good and bad. Even in the midst of suffering, kindness should be the way we respond. This seemingly contradictory response is further evidence that God is dwelling within us, since this is the very nature of God shining through us, despite the world in which we live.

It often seems that the world puts a limit on showing kindness. By thinking “if you do good to me, I’ll do good to you” the world sets up a quid pro quo type situation. Unconsciously, this becomes the way we live our lives when it comes to dealing with others.

This type of thinking is worldly and not godly. This activity will show that having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us changes that approach because God is good and having Him within us leads us to do good, rather than simply looking for what we can gain through our actions.

Faithfulness is considered a Fruit of the Spirit because it reflects God’s own faithfulness and is a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in believers, leading to trust, loyalty, and steadfastness in following God’s will. This further inspires us to show those same traits to others.

Faithfulness involves trusting in God’s character, believing His promises, and obeying His commands. It’s a demonstration of our personal reliance on God and a willingness to follow His guidance. Faithfulness isn’t just a one-time act, but a consistent demonstration of loyalty and steadfastness, even when faced with challenges or temptations.

This session focuses on embracing gentleness as a way of approaching our interactions with others. Gentleness should not be confused with weakness, because gentleness requires inner strength to maintain our relationships. Gentleness builds greater harmony, deeper understanding and helps us practice and grow greater empathy toward others.

As Christians, when we practice gentleness we reflect an important aspect of God’s nature to the world around us. Gentleness leads directly toward increased positivity, improved trust and allows for deeper relationships as it overcomes the negativity of the world.

Self-control is considered a Fruit of the Spirit because it is a positive attribute produced by the Holy Spirit working within a believer, enabling us to resist temptation and live a life aligned with God’s will. It’s not just about individual willpower, but a divine empowerment that helps Christians overcome sinful desires and live righteously.

Biblical self-control is rooted in a relationship with God and a desire to please Him, not just in personal discipline. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to resist temptation and choose what is right, even when it’s difficult.