The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in our midst. When we are abiding in His will, we are able to acknowledge God leading, molding, and supporting us through the Holy Spirit.
So how does the Holy Spirit help us to become more giving? You may have heard a thing or two about fruits of the spirit, and Paul wrote at length about them. Here’s a refresher:
"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
Fruits of the spirit are an outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. When we give ourselves completely to Christ, we produce this abundance of fruit and share it with everyone. So much so that we are recognized as followers of Christ by these fruits: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
If we’re not giving ourselves completely to Christ, then that probably means we’ve got some bad fruit on the tree. If we are not showing an abundance of spiritual fruit in our lives, then we’re probably not doing a great job listening to and obeying God. This means we are not as readily available to receive the Holy Spirit, because we’re not following through by following Him.
I don’t know about you, but 2020 has had enough bad fruit in my opinion. Let’s be a people that others know us as Christ followers by our good fruit! We are called to be peacemakers and disciples that share God’s love with all we encounter. If you’re struggling with living out these spiritual fruits, that’s ok! There is always room for pruning and new growth on our spiritual tree. God doesn’t want us to stay the same, and He invites us to start anew every single day.
In your alone time with God today, jot down the three questions below. Try to answer them openly and honestly. The more honest we are with ourselves and our Father the more we open ourselves up to receive Him.
-Which fruit(s) of the spirit stood out to you? Why?
-Which fruit(s) of the spirit are you struggling to produce? Why do you think that is?
-How do you perceive that to be a stumbling block in your relationship with God?
-What steps can you take to open yourself up more fully to Him?
Then pray the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, you know my heart and my ways. I give myself over to you completely and trust you with the process. Forgive me when I replace Your will with mine. Please make me aware of any bad fruit I may have shared with others, forgive me, and replace it with Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the pruning and new growth you’re growing on my spiritual tree. Amen.