fruit of the spirit

March 3, 2012 By Mary Hess

To read all of the posts in this series, click here.

Our key scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 â€“ ESV
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Can you believe we’re finally to the end of our Fruit of the Spirit series?! I hope you have enjoyed this study as much as I have. It’s always fun to break down God’s word and learn more in-depth things about what He’s saying to us, don’t ya think?!

So our last element of the Fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Some versions say “temperance.” Here’s the Greek information:

Self -control
á¼Î³ÎºÏá½±Ï„ÎµÎ¹Î± – egkrateia

1) self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)

Ahhhhhh, self control. This one’s a kicker. Although I think I’ve said that about every one we’ve talked about, eh?

When I think of self-control, I immediately think of things like shutting my mouth instead of feeling the need to say something just because I can.

Ahem.

When I think of self-control, I immediately think of fasting, of bringing my body under subjection to draw closer to God.

Sometimes, as humans, we tend to give in to the nature that is in us to indulge.

And I’m not talking about food only.

Self-control is a virtue mentioned in 2 Peter 1:6 – but you should read the entire chapter to get the gist of what Peter was saying to the body. He basically says that self-control will produce patience in our lives. And patience will then produce godliness.

Anyone else find that interesting?

Yeah. Patience produces godliness.

So when we practice self-control, we learn patience, which in turn produces godliness.

Sounds like godliness is something we grow into over time as well, eh?

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I love how this entire series has pointed back to one simple thing: the heart. When we focus on following God with our whole heart, all of these attributes will be working in our lives. Yes, from the moment we are new Christians – even up through the seasoned follower, we fine-tune these attributes. There may be areas you fall short in. Heck, we all do. But we get back up, brush ourselves off, and press forward.

When we are desiring a true heart-to-heart connection with our Daddy God, we won’t have to consciously check these things off. No. Our lives will produce characteristics that mirror our Father.

And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.

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Thank you for following along these past few weeks on this journey to dissect this passage of Scripture. I hope you’ve been blessed and learned something new as well.

February 25, 2012 By Mary Hess

To read all of the posts in this series, click here.

So today we’re talking about gentleness. And if you’re like me, comeonyou’relikemeright?!, then the word gentleness makes you think of sweet, quiet spoken people – specifically old ladies, shy people, etc. You get the picture.

We associate gentleness with being shy or introverted.

But that’s so not the case.

Jesus was gentle.

Read Hosea 11:4 , Matthew 11:29

GENTLENESS

Ï‡ÏÎ·ÏƒÏ„á½¹Ï‚ – chrÄ“stos

1) fit, fit for use, useful

a) virtuous, good

2) manageable

a) mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter)

b) of things: more pleasant, of people, kind, benevolent

Manageable.

There’s a word for you. Do you consider yourself manageable – mild, pleasant, as opposed to harsh, hard, sharp, bitter? Yikes. I really need work in that area.

I’m sure it’s just me. But I tend to be a bit on the sharp side most days. I can definitely say I’m better than I used to be (right, baby?! Hellloo…. Shannon. . . . great time for you to comment and say how much I’ve changed for the better. Ahem.).

But I’m no where near where I need to be. I want to be known for being a strong person, but I want to be known for being gentle as well. If you read this passage in the KJV, you will see the word “meekness.”

Moses was a meek man.

But he was far from a weak man.

Quite the opposite actually.

He led a million people out of Egypt.

He saw God – and it wasn’t an every day occurrence before Moses, let me tell you.

That says a lot too.

So being gentle doesn’t mean that you are a push over or a wuss (yes, I just typed wuss on my blog. I can do that sort of thing. You’re welcome.). It simply means that you have a kind heart, a gentle spirit.

I really want that.

Someone who is gentle is considered useful.

Wow. That’s a pretty big statement right there. They’re considered useful because they have a soft heart. They are pliable in the Master’s hands – willing to do whatever He needs them to at a moment’s notice.

What do you think about that? It certainly goes against my natural thought process. I imagine someone useful who is a take-charge person – someone who can make things happen. But the word gentle never comes to mind.

But again, Moses was a perfect example of someone who was that take-charge person, making things happen and yet he was meek/gentle.

I think out of all of these attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, this one really pricks me the most. I want to be gentle but I think sometimes I fear it means I’ll lose my edge, my extroverted personality. That, of course, is an ungodly belief. Surprise. Surprise.

Instead I have to believe God’s truth. That I can be pliable in His hands – I can be gentle and useful for His purpose. And that doesn’t mean I am weak.

Boy, do I have a lot to learn.