But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. [24] And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25 KJV
Fruits are typically the by-product of fertilization in plants. A fruit is technically a mature ovary which contains seeds that develop after fertilization. In the verse above, the Word used as “fruit” also means something that originates from a thing or a fruit of ones loins or their posterity. A tree only produces after its kind and in the fruit are seeds after its kind. So also, the fruit of ones loins usually takes on the nature of the progenitor.
Paul was intentional when He listed the attributes in Galatians 5:22-25 as fruit of the Spirit and not works, like in the case of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21. In humans, for a woman to bear the fruit of the womb, she has an interaction with a man who she is in a covenant relationship with. During this time, there is an exchange of life and a child is conceived and eventually born. This child is an evidence or fruit of their union together. In a similar way, Christ is Love, 1 John 4:7-21. So it makes sense that the fruit of our union with Him is also Love. Note that fruit of the Spirit is singular, Love, the other attributes are an offshoot of love, as Paul described 1 Corinthians 13.
How do we bear the fruit of the Spirit?
Since these attributes are a fruit, originating from the Loins of Christ, no amount of works can produce Love, Joy, patience, etc in you. Jesus in John 15 says, if you abide in Me, you will bear much fruit. He went further to say, if my words abide in you, you will bear much fruit. This means for us to bear fruit, His Word abides in us. For Mary to conceive the fruit (Son) of the Holy Spirit ( Jesus) in Luke 1, it was written that the Lord overshadowed her and the result was a zygote being implanted in Mary. Hence the thing which was conceived in her was called the Son of God. Since Jesus is called the Word of God, it may not be out of place to assume that the conception happened the moment Mary received the Word, saying “Be it unto me according to Your Word”, Luke 1:30-38. This Word of God, abiding in her, resulted in Jesus. For us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, there also needs to be an overshadowing where the Lord broods over us and speaks His words to us. This overshadowing occurs in the secret place or in our personal altars. The result of us receiving the Word is the fruit of the Spirit.
In essence, if you notice anything but love, Joy, peace in you, it is not a call to condemnation, self imposed penance or self loathing. It simply means you need to spend more time in the secret place. For this reason, Christ beckons us in various scriptures to come into the secret place, Matthew 6:4, Isaiah 26:20, Songs of Solomon 2:10, Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 6:31. The reward for this is that God rewards you with His nature and it is on display for the World to see as Matthew 6:4 says. The bible says that our Father is already in the secret place, so we do not need to fast and pray to meet Him there. As we behold Him there, He broods over us and His nature robs off on us. The result is Love that always rejoices, is peaceful, patient, gentle, full of faith, meek, good and has self under control. As Paul says, as we walk in union with the Spirit, we will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus thank you bringing me into a covenant with you. Thank you for being committed to making me into all that You have designed that I be. I want to bear Your fruit Lord. Please brood upon Me. Pull me into your secret chambers and speak Your words over me. Overshadow Me that the thing which will be formed within me will be the God kind of Love! Amen.
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