Galatians 5:22-23 Easy-to-Read Version
22 But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.
Does one, or should one, strive to exhibit these spiritual fruit?
My wife has acquaintances that call her “friend,” several of them, in fact. I wonder if she attracts them. We have had some of them stay in our home at various times. When they do so, they become highly critical of every thing we do. They complain ceaselessly about having no friends, about the faults of others who have tried to support or help them. They become demanding: the food is tasteless, un-nourishing, not served at the right time, or in the right way. We keep the house too hot in the summer time and too cool in the wintertime. Anything that goes wrong is instantly our fault. We don’t provide transport for them to some entertainment, another “friends” home or meeting place, or some medical service. We don’t have coffee in the house or let them smoke in the house, especially when the weather is inclement. They literally run us to distraction.
I confess that I do not experience love, joy, peace, etc. as I wish I could. My wife is driven into high-blood pressure, depression, but she maintains her spiritual fruit seemingly effortlessly. Seeing her health deteriorating, I eventually put my foot down. I insist the intruder must leave. I actually have forbidden some of these “friends” from returning under any circumstances. On the other hand, she shows only love, patience, kindness, and deep care for these dregs of society.
I have prayed personally for some of these fruits of the Spirit. To no avail. On occasion I have prayed for some of these people, and eventually God has intervened in my life so that they become much more acceptable to me. I don’t know whether they have changed, or the Spirit has actually produced some of His fruit in my life. There is at least patience, kindness, and I sense the peace promised by this verse. I do know that my new attitude is not universal; there still are some ´friends” who rub me the wrong way.
It may be that you want me to pray for the infilling of God’s Spirit in my life that such fruit may become automatic in my life. May this same Spirit give my wife the fortitude and strength to survive their manifestation in her life.
Lord, come quickly and change me and them into beings that your love has formed us to be.
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