Galatians 5: 22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.This coming Sunday we are going to talk about “The Fruit of the Spirt”. These attributes are what we are to have once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is what the Holy Spirit produces in our lives, as a transformed person.We once lived as our “old self”, which was more about pride, selfishness, worry, doubt, fear, but once we have accepted Jesus, if we allow, the Holy Spirit works in us and through that work what comes out are these fruit.But how does that work? How do we get transformed so that our “old self” dies and these new attributes (these fruit) show up in our lives?Devotion. Our devotion to God must be primary. Without growth, without seeking after God, without making our relationship with God a priority, we are simply regressing. When we regress, our “old self” starts to come back. So -spiritual gut check time. How is your love? How would you rate your joy? Do you feel peaceful? How is your patience level? Are you kind to everyone? Do you do good in Jesus’ name? Are you faithful? Do you have a gentle spirit? Are you strong when it comes to self-control?Now, don’t beat yourself up over this. We are all a work in progress, and we are always growing. But if you feel maybe you lean the opposite way on some or most of these, then it’s time to stop, ask the Holy Spirit to work in you, and devote yourself to God on a level higher than you are currently. I read something this week about our devotion to God….“I’ll put God first IF everything is easy. I’ll devote more time to God IF my schedule slows down. I’ll follow God IF I can still have a successful career. I’ll spend time with God IF it’s convenient.”Be careful of those “ifs” in your life. If there is ever that word “if” between you and your relationship with God, what is on the other side of that “if” is truly your master.

Pastor's Blog

No “If’s”