Paul said in his letter to the Galatians that when the Holy Spirit is present in our lives there will be proof. He goes on to list the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. There are Christians out there everywhere who are saved but not yielded. This takes some time and the closer to God we get the more yielded our lives become.
Let us take a quick look at a few of these familiar words or traits that Paul has listed in Galatians. I say familiar because most folks have a pretty good understanding as to the meaning of these things. Take love for example, which by the way Jesus said is the most important trait of all. We all have a pretty good idea of what love means. The love that God is talking about goes to a different level. We cannot reach that level on our own. The people in the world for the most part love their children, their friends, their parents and husband or wife. The word love has been applied to so many things that it has really become watered down but that is another issue that we will skip over for now. Loving folks that love us is the way of the world. God on the other hand loves people that could not care less about Him. He sent His Son to die for everyone. When we yield to the Holy Spirit we will learn to love our enemies and those who do not love us. We will begin to find that we can love the unlovable.
Kindness is also mentioned as one of the Fruits of the Spirit. Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? Two Jewish men passed by a wounded Jew and offered no assistance. Who was it that helped him? A total stranger and foreigner. Now let’s look at what happened here. The Samaritan tended to the man’s wounds, found him a place to stay, and met the cost out of his own pocket. Not only that but he told the innkeeper that if the money didn’t cover the wounded man’s care, the Samaritan would pick up the bill when he came back through the town. This is the type of kindness that comes from God. When we show this type of generosity to those we do not know or to those who do not like us it means we are growing closer to God.
Have you ever done something for someone when there is nothing at all in it for you? What about a little test? We think sometimes that we are doing things without expecting anything in return but are we really? Let’s say there is this friend or neighbor of yours that you have been helping for quite some time off and on. Anytime they need help you are glad to do it. Sometime down the road a day comes when you need some help with something but they do not offer to help you. This happens over and over again. What will your response be the next time the neighbor needs help? Will you continue to help just as you always have? The world says that you shouldn’t continue to help them. This is one example of where God’s kindness comes into the picture.
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