Fruit Of The Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Did you know that the U.S consumption of avocados has been over 3 billon pounds this year?

It is fair to say that this fruit is a fan favorite in the country, partly due to its classification as a

super food in the recent years. As you are reading this you might even be day dreaming on

how you can incorporate an avocado in you next meal…but have you ever considered how

long it takes an avocado tree to bare such a wonderful fruit? From seed to its fully mature

state, an avocado tree takes 10 to 15 years to bare fruits. The reason why the avocado tree

takes so long to mature is that during its juvenile state, their growth energy is dedicated to

developing a strong root system under the ground. In addition to the root system, the tree

needs to develop leaves and branches that will be used to absorb light and carbon dioxide.

Only once this carefully crafted system is fully developed, does an avocado tree have all the

tools it needs to bare its fruit through photosynthesis.This might put into perspective how

much work nature goes through to deliver us that delicious fruit we are so fond of.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit, which are the characteristics that we should strive

to portray as mature fruit bearing Christians. Unfortunately love, joy, peace, forbearance,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are characteristics that have

become rare not only in the secular world but also in many Christian communities.

In comparison to an avocado tree, have you ever considered what work goes in for us to bare

the fruit of the Spirit? The key word in this question is “Spirit”, for we can never gain such

wonderful fruit without the influence of the Holy Spirt. The Holy Spirit is the guide that Jesus

left us when he returned home to heaven after his resurrection, it is the only way we can truly

connect with our Heavenly Father. Therefor, a better question would be how can we connect to

the Holy Spirit?

To find an answer to such a complex question let’s ask our selves a simpler question, how are

we spending our growth energy on a daily basis? Like an avocado tree, we need to develop a

strong root system before we can yield an fruits of the Spirit. By seeking God on a daily basis,

we can start to root our lives in the correct path.

By reading his scriptures, constantly praying and doing service unto others our connection

with God will allow us to spring life into our spiritual life. As our root system fully develop, the

branches and leaves of our character will start to be shown. This constant communion with

God will eventually allow us to yield the fruit of the Spirit that we read in Galatians. As we

develop a strong relationship with our Heavenly Father, we will see that we no longer live by our

own will but by the guidance of the Holly Spirit. These fruit of the Spirit will no longer feel like

they come from our daily hard work, but they will flow naturally as the Holly Spirt dwells in our

hearts.

We invite you today to seek a relationship with our Creator on a daily basis, since this is the

only way we can bare the fruit of the Spirit. Although the challenge does not stop there, once

we succeed on baring the fruit of the Spirit, we need to plant the seeds of those fruit unto

others. By sharing the good nature that the Holly Spirit influences us on, we can influence

others to seek to be different as well.