Fruit of the Spirit
The Fruit of the Spirit
Get to know the Fruit of the Spirit! Our chat room and community discussion are centered around these nine themes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. Through sharing and conversation, these are the qualities we aim to develop both within ourselves and within our brothers and sisters.
Click the button under each fruit below to learn more about its connection to Paul’s message in the Gospel.
Love
Spiritual Fruit: Love
Physical Fruit: Strawberry
Day to day, we encounter 3 types of love: Eros, Phileo and Agape.
Eros love is not found in the New Testament. It is the word from which we get our English word “Erotic.” It has to do with the sexual aspects of love that the Scriptures clearly teach are good and proper when experienced in the context of marriage according to the biblical pattern. But eros, for all its goodness, is not the love of which we speak; for as good as it is, it is limited. Eros desires to possess the desirable for self-satisfaction and personal benefit.
Phileo love deals with companionship and friendship. We get such words as “Philadelphia” and “philanthropy.” It is not egotistical like Eros, but has connotations of mutuality. The boy-meets-girl event portrays admirably. The problem is that Phileo love, like Eros, is limited. Phileo is great until it hits the skids, but once it does, it takes a great force to stop its momentum.
Agape love makes all the difference in the New Testament. It describes God’s love for us and the love that God looks for from us. Agape love is the fruit of the Spirit. God’s love for Israel was infinitely more than Eros and Phileo or it would have returned, post-haste to heaven at the first sign of rejection.
Agape love should be the most distinctive characteristic of a Christian. Agape love is greater than anything that one can say, possess or give. Agape love is more than an emotion or feeling. It is a choice or a decision. We as Christians have to make the decision to love even when we don’t feel like it. It is a love that surpasses human understanding and causes a person to be filled with the fullness of God. God wants our love to grow so big that it will chase people down and overtake them, not physically but manifested in their hearts. When we walk in the love of God, everything else will fall into place.
There is no more beautiful a statement of love in action than Paul’s ode to love recorded in his Epistle to the Corinthians. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
The strawberry is the fruit of love. Love’s compatible physical fruit is as sweet as the spiritual fruit. Strawberries, not only look like a fruity heart-shaped valentine, they are filled with unusual phytonutrients that love to promote your health.
The strawberry not only provide its flush red color, they also serve as potent antioxidants that have repeatedly been shown to help protect cell structures in the body and to prevent oxygen damage in all of the body’s organ systems.
Strawberries’ unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one; sounds like that Agape love.
In studies, researchers have found that strawberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related declines in brain function. Researchers found that feeding aging rats strawberry-rich diets significantly improved both their learning capacity and motor skills.
In terms of traditional nutrients, strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. They also qualified as a very good source of dietary fiber and iodine as well as a good source of potassium, folate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, magnesium, and copper.
Joy
Spiritual Fruit: Joy
Physical Fruit: Pineapple
When David returned home after defeating Goliath, he got a hero’s welcome as the women met him “singing and dancing with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.” The Hebrew word used is SIMCHAH, which has connections with the thought of bright and shining. This joy is recognized in the Old Testament.
Another word for joy is MASOS, which means, “leaping” or “jumping.” The man who was healed as he sat at the Beautiful gate of the Temple is a good example of being filled with MASOS joy.
RINNAH is yet another word that conveys the idea of the exuberant expression of joy, with particular reference to “shouting.”
We all desire to be happy and our hearts filled with joy. We search endlessly for it, as if it were our ultimate goal. The truth is that joy comes in the midst of our day-to-day routines, as we are following the Will of God. It is found in our service to God; and in the midst of any circumstance. The success we seek is not necessarily where we will find happiness. There is a great joy to be found in this life, but it is not dependent on our wealth or success, but on our service, dedication and obedience to God’s Will in our life. God is the Creator and owner of all things. It is not things that make our hearts filled with joy, yet as we press toward the goal of the high calling of God through Christ Jesus, we experience true joy that is delivered to us from the heart of the Creator of all things. True joy fills our hearts with a hope and happiness that surpasses anything in this world, and provides us strength to endure and be content in all things.
We must thank God for the joy that floods our soul. True joy is not found but experienced through the circumstances of each day. God’s joy is our strength, our hope and our song.
Philippians 4:4 commands us to “Rejoice in the Lord always:”; Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The exceptional juiciness and vibrant tropical flavor of pineapple, exemplifies the expression of its matched spiritual fruit, joy. Each fruitlet, of the pineapple, can be identified by an “eye,” the rough spiny marking on the pineapple’s surface. Pineapples have a wide cylindrical shape, a scaly green, brown or yellow skin and a regal crown of spiny, blue-green leaves and fibrous yellow flesh. The area closer to the base of the fruit has more sugar content and therefore a sweeter taste and more tender texture. This is where you will find joy, manifested in its core. Fresh pineapple has protein-digesting enzymes that not only aid digestion, but can effectively reduce inflammation and swelling, and has even been used experimentally as an anti-cancer agent. The pineapple has very high manganese and vitamin C nutritional value.
Peace
Spiritual Fruit: Peace
Physical Fruit: Watermelon
Spiritual peace could be defined as the tranquility of order. As believers, we experience peace in 3 different ways. First, there is the “Peace with God”; second is the “Peace of God”; and third is the “Peace on Earth.”
“Peace with God” is the experience of spiritual order. Disobedience, whether individual or corporate, leads to disorder, disease, dismay. Spiritual health and knowledge of peace, with God, could replace a dismay of Spirit and replace a foreboding sense of hopeless gloom.
“Peace of God” is a sense of psychological order. The stresses of life in the modern world are producing all manner of psychological and physical reactions. Writing to the Philippians from prison, the apostle Paul made it clear that God’s people, through prayer and supplication, could make their requests known with thankfulness. Paul says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
“Peace on Earth” is the experience of relational order. Perhaps one of the clearest illustrations of peace, in a relationship, is found in the experience of the early church. There had long been traditional tensions between the Jews and Gentiles; partially due to the uniqueness of the Jewish faith and practice; and partly due to the Gentile resentment, of what appeared to be a superior attitude on the part of the chosen people.
We must learn to maintain peace with God, with our fellow man, and with ourselves. We maintain peace with God by believing and trusting Him. We maintain peace with our fellow man by not allowing strife to be a part of our relationships with other people. We maintain peace with ourselves by refusing to live in guilt or condemnation; thus recognizing that God is greater than all of our sins.
This kind of peace doesn’t come through drugs, alcohol, sex, wealth or entertainment. It is a supernatural (not worldly) peace that is a gift of God. Peace is a result of being justified by faith and loving God’s law.
Spiritual peace is coupled with physical watermelon. If you have ever tasted a watermelon, it is probably no surprise to you why this juicy, refreshing fruit has this name. Watermelon has an extremely high water content, approximately 92%, giving its flesh a crumbly and subtly crunchy texture and making it a favorite thirst-quenching fruit. Doesn’t peace quench your thirsting soul?
Watermelon is not only great on a hot summer day; this delectable thirst-quencher may also help quench the inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.
Sweet, juicy watermelon is actually packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene.
Watermelon is rich in the B vitamins necessary for energy production. It’s a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, magnesium, and potassium. This fruit has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits (a whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories); it delivers more nutrients per calorie – an outstanding health benefit! Much like the health benefits of spiritual peace.
Patience
Spiritual Fruit: Patience
Physical Fruit: Lemon
MAKROTHUMIA, Greek word meaning “patience” or “longsuffering”; longsuffering, literally “long wrath” or “slow anger.” Please note that half of the Greek word, for patience, is “anger.” It is important to notice that patience is an attitude with respect to people.
Patience is a virtue that God prizes highly in man and seems to be best developed under trials and tribulations. James puts it best, “My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.”
The unique concept of the church requires considerable patience if it is to become more than a nice idea. Paul made this clear when he wrote: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing one another in love. Make every effort to keep unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3). There is boundless opportunity for the fruit of the Spirit to blossom in patience, because our world abounds in frustrations. To see that patience grows, we need to be aware of the pressure points that stimulate reactions, be alert to the possible anger that is being generated, be conversant with the way we are handling it, and be clear in our own minds whether we want to show the fruit of the Spirit life in the situation or to the person concerned.
Longsuffering is love on trial. It is being mild, gentle and constant in all circumstances. The real test in patience is not in the waiting, but in how one acts while he or she is waiting. The ability to be patient comes from the Holy Spirit and by loving God’s law. It also includes perseverance- the ability to hold up under weariness, the stresses of the world, and sometimes being persecuted while doing God’s work. It also includes endurance.
In all circumstances, it is best to remember that love is patient.
The spiritual fruit, patience/longsuffering is coupled with the physical fruit, lemon. Although lemons may not be your first choice for an afternoon snack, this fruit is considered to be a powerhouse when looking to bring out the flavor of other foods. A drizzle of lemon juice over salmon, shrimp, chicken, or pork . . . let it marinade; broil it, bake it, or whatever . . . you will end up with a dish at a five star restaurant. Much like what patience and longsuffering does for our Christian walk . . . we end up five star Christians. Lemons are an excellent source of one of the most important antioxidants in nature, vitamin C; the booster of your immune system. This spiritual fruit, manifested in your heart and soul, will boost your spiritual immune system . . . some things will no longer have the same affect on you. For those of you the indulge lemons, it requires some longsuffering to get through those really tart ones . . . it requires some longsuffering to get through some really “tart” storms, trials, and tribulations.
Kindness
Spiritual Fruit: Kindness
Physical Fruit: Peach
There are no substitutes for gentleness in the lives of those who know the loving kindness of God. Gentleness is seen in terms of sympathy, benevolence, and generosity. All are essentially practical; none is less than costly. Kindness is an effort, and it is worth it. In the fellowship of believers, it is especially necessary because it is part of the spiritual life.
Sympathy is nurtured by taking the trouble to recognize how the other person is feeling. Sometimes sympathy is achieved by recollection, but other times, it takes imagination. When we come to practical application of these thoughts to our own situations, it is helpful to think first of all in terms of kind attitudes that will beget kind actions. This means developing and cultivating feelings of sympathy, like Joseph showed to his brothers.
Benevolence is a choice. It is an inclination to do charitable or kind acts. If benevolence is a choice then generosity takes a chance.
Generosity has a special place in the Christian experience. It should not be limited to the offering plate. We do have a terrible tendency to be miserly with expressions of appreciation.
Kindness requires effort, and proves worth it. In the fellowship of believers, it is especially necessary because it is a part of our Spiritual Life. It sets itself apart from other attitudes in much the same way that ripe figs differ from rotten; precious stones from cheap imitations and pure gold from the dross of dirt in which it is found.
The apostle Paul illustrates gentleness by the example of a mother nourishing her children in 1 Thessalonians 2:7. Gentleness is a quality that makes you great in God’s sight.
The physical fruit peach, is much like the spiritual fruit gentleness/kindness; requires attention and sensitivity. Peaches are a summer season. When shopping for peaches, choose fragrant fruits which are unblemished and not overly firm. Because fresh peaches are highly perishable, don’t buy more than you plan to use. Even when unripe, they spoil easily. Peaches that are greenish colored were probably picked too early should be avoided. Sweetness does not increase after picking, so ripe-picked fruit is always the tastiest.
One peach supplies about 5% of an adults minimum daily Niacin (B3) needs. Fresh and canned peaches have about the same amount of vitamin A.
Peaches can be dried, canned, made into jams, jellies, and preserves, used as filling for desserts, and used as an ingredient in many other dishes, from appetizers to entrees. Gentleness and kindness can be shown in various ways. Make sure someone experiences your spiritual fruit of gentleness every day.
Goodness
Spiritual Fruit: Goodness
Physical Fruit: Banana
Goodness is holiness put into practice, and is a result of knowing God. Once you have this knowledge, goodness is supernaturally produced in you (Romans 15:14). We find inner goodness through the inner transformation that only occurs in our relationship with Christ. This is a life long process.
Goodness is love in action. It goes far deeper than just “doing good.” It is demonstrated in everyday living by the Holy Spirit. It is “doing good” out of a good heart, to please God without expecting recognition or reward. Goodness is a virtue that leads us to get involved with people and their troubles, as well as their triumphs.
Goodness enables you to do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27) as well as those of the household of faith. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. That’s why we need to be good people. Our witness won’t have any power unless we are kind. We are called to be light in a dark world, and we must make up our minds that we are going to shine.
Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way.” Goodness is living the Golden Rule given by Jesus in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Bananas are elliptically shaped fruits, “prepackaged” by Nature, featuring a firm, creamy flesh, gift-wrapped inside a thick inedible peel. Remember, spiritual fruit goodness, physical fruit, bananas; relate the two. As I describe the physical fruit, the spiritual fruit is also described.
Creamy, rich, and sweet, bananas are a favorite food for everyone from infants to elders. Sports enthusiasts appreciate the potassium-power delivered by this high energy fruit.
Wonderfully sweet with firm and creamy flesh, bananas come prepackaged in their own yellow jackets and are available for harvest throughout the year. Bananas are one of our best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Since the average banana contains a whopping 467 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium, a banana a day may help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis. Bananas have long been recognized for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage. In one study, a simple mixture of banana and milk significantly suppressed acid secretion.
Bananas work their protective magic in two ways: First, substances in bananas help activate the cells that compose the stomach lining, so they produce a thicker protective mucus barrier against stomach acids. Second, other compounds in bananas called protease inhibitors help eliminate bacteria in the stomach that have been pinpointed as a primary cause of stomach ulcers.
With our prepackaged sweet goodness, some of our church bacteria will be eliminated.
Faithfulness
Spiritual Fruit: Faithfulness
Physical Fruit: Cherry
Faithfulness is an integral part of human existence. It is so important that without it society would disintegrate. Faithfulness is important to human well being because humans were made to operate on the principle of faith. Faith requires faithfulness or it will produce only disaster.
The Greek language dramatically points out the remarkable integration of faith and faithfulness. Only one word, PISTIS is used to describe both. When we take a look at faithfulness, our starting point must be to God, Himself. Peter speaks of Him as the “faithful Creator” to whom we need to commit ourselves, particularly when we “suffer according to God’s will” (1 Peter 4:19).
Faith and faithfulness need each other like keys and locks. The lock has the ability to show that the key is right, and the key has what it takes to show what the lock can do. Keys without locks may be ornamental but nothing else. As surely as faithfulness stimulates faith, faith produces faithfulness.
Faith is a gift and also a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit. The gift of faith is imparted from God through the Word, but the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of faith. The gift of faith can move mountains, but the fruit of faith is what is required for daily living. The fruit of faith enables us to walk and live by faith. Without this kind of faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, Faithfulness means a “firm adherence to the truth and to the duties of relationship with God; adhering to your duties; loyalty; constant in performance of duties or services.”
Being faithful is not always easy. However, when we are faithful and do what God tells us to do; we will be rewarded; for the Bible says that if we’re faithful over a few things, God will make rulers over many things.
Let’s take a look at faith’s physical partner, the cherry.
Cherries have a relatively short season, a short shelf life, are liable to split in rain, can be wiped out by hail at the wrong time, are liable to be damaged by birds, bruise easily, and can be expensive to pick. Hopefully, that does not sound like your faith. But, no wonder fresh cherries tend to be expensive; “harder to come by” as some may say! But nothing else tastes like a cherry! Nothing else is like God’s faithfulness.
Fresh cherries are a delightful treat in season. Both fresh sweet cherries and fresh sour cherries rank as a good source of vitamin C. When it comes to vitamin A, sour cherries are a standout – they have almost ten times more vitamin A than sweet cherries.
Studies have shown that cherries act as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and reduce cancer risk benefits. Other tests suggest cherries may reduce the buildup of LDL cholesterol, a contributor to heart disease, stroke and atherosclerosis.
Great is thy Faithfulness. Each morning, new mercies I see.
Meekness
Spiritual Fruit: Meekness
Physical Fruit: Grapes
Meekness, being part of the nature of Christ, becomes a learning experience for his disciples as they yoked to Him. Not only does the life of Christ model meekness, but also commitment enables disciples to develop it in their lives. The Lord himself, in well-known words, explains the place of meekness in Spirit Life:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). The Greek word translated “gentle” from this passage is PRATOES, meaning meekness.
The Word of God is like a two-edged sword sometimes, a hammer at other times, and has been known to be bitter to our taste. We tend to react to the authoritative word; we don’t like it when it makes us uncomfortable. We tend to become angry, sometimes at the church, other times at the preacher, but if both are doing their jobs, our irritation is really at the Word of God. We are instructed to receive God’s Word with meekness. We should always show meekness in ministry, manner, Christian leadership and marriage.
Meekness is not weakness, neither is it easy. Like every other aspect of Spirit Life, meekness is required; possibly through obedience to those requirements; and dependence of the Spirit of Christ, who was meek and lowly of heart.
Meekness or humility is defined as freedom from pride and arrogance; modest estimation of our own worth. It is the opposite of pride. The Bible says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5), and it is the meek which will inherit the earth (Psalm 37:11).
The spiritual fruit meekness is compared to the physical fruit, the grape. The combination of crunchy texture and dry, sweet, tart flavor has made grapes an ever popular between meal snack, as well as, a refreshing addition to both fruit and vegetable salads. Grapes are small round or oval berries that feature semi-translucent flesh encased by a smooth skin. Some contain edible seeds while others are seedless. Like blueberries, grapes are covered by a protective, whitish bloom. Grapes that are eaten as is or used in a recipe are called table grapes as opposed to wine grapes (used in viniculture) or raisin grapes (used to make dried fruit).
Grapes, deeper in color, appear to decrease the risk of heart disease by reducing platelet clumping and harmful blood clots, and protecting LDL cholesterol from the free radical damage that initiates LDL’s artery-damaging actions.
Self-Control
Spiritual Fruit: Self-Control
Physical Fruit: Apple
Temperance means self-control. The Greek word literally means “self-mastery.” It is control over the whole man (spirit, soul and body), which enables us to live a victorious life. A person who has self-control is mild and calm, avoids extreme behavior, and exercises self-restraint in both actions and speech. Although restraint and self-control aren’t easy, they are necessary if one ever wants to operate in the fruit of the Spirit. After all, temperance and love are the bookends that hold all the other fruit in place.
Temperance, or self-control, assists Christians in becoming liberated to serve God in glorious freedom. Whenever the struggle for self-control gets hard, there is no better exercise than to look again at Gethsemane. You will find there, the anguished struggle of the Son of Man, contemplating being made sin, being separated from the Father, bearing the law’s awful curse, and tasting death for every man. Hear gain the words, “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39) and feel the tension. Then read the words, of the ultimate self-controlled life, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This is not the self-discipline of a man, on a diet for his figure or jogging for his health. The Son of Man brought mind, body and soul into subjection to the will of God for the well being of lost humanity.
When the struggle against sin or the heavy demands of disciplined living gets a little too burdensome, turn again to the Lord who was dead and is alive. Thank Him for the ultimate example of temperance, self-control. In your own heart aided by His Spirit, breathe those words, “Not My will but yours be done.” Claim God’s power to make the necessary decisions and adjustments to make it stick. That is self-control; that is Spirit Life.
The warm scent and flavor of baking apples is a sure sign that fall is just around the corner. Apples are crisp, white-fleshed fruits with red, yellow or green skin. They range in taste from moderately sweet and refreshing to pleasantly tart depending on the variety. The apple is a member of the rose family, with a compartmentalized core which classifies it as a pome fruit or apple in Latin. According to the latest research, the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is fact, not just folklore.
The nutritional stars in apples—fiber, flavonoids, and fructose—translate into apples’ ability to keep us healthy.
Apples contain both insoluble and soluble fiber. One medium (5 ounces) unpeeled apple provides over 3 grams of fiber, more than 10% of the daily fiber intake recommended by experts. Even without its peel, a medium apple provides 2.7 grams of fiber.
Apple’s two types of fiber pack a double punch that can knock down cholesterol levels, reducing your risk of hardening of the arteries, heart attack, and stroke. Apple’s insoluble fiber works like bran, latching on to LDL cholesterol in the digestive tract and removing it from the body, while apple’s soluble fiber pectin reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol produced in the liver.
When it comes to bowel regularity, apple’s two types of fiber tackle the job—no matter what it is.
Practicing temperance/self-control today, will keep satan away.
Spiritual fruit, temperance/self-control is partnered with physical fruit, apple.
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