The Fruit of the Spirit

https://youtu.be/BrdQB1NHrX4

Well, hello there, Twig friends!

Today, we’re looking at a passage in Scripture from the book of Galatians chapter 5, where we read about what the Bible calls the fruit—or evidence—of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.

A Prayerful Practice

Last month, our family was visiting my folks in Arizona. My dad, who is 85, gave us a little devotional book by Max Lucado. At the beginning of the book, Max walks through the fruit of the Spirit as a kind of daily prayer.

My dad told us he prays this every morning:

“I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today, I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as having less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I will forgive so I may live.

I choose patience. I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I will invite them to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fists at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone; kind to the rich, for they are afraid; and kind to the unkind, for that is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I’ll be overlooked before I boast. I’ll confess before I accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My friends will not question my word. My family will not question my love.

I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fists, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I’ll be drunk only by joy, impassioned only by my faith, influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.”

What a beautiful and grounding reading. I love this practice of praying through these virtues every day.

Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

Today, we want to talk about two big words that can make a real and practical difference in our everyday lives: orthodoxy and orthopraxy.

• Orthodoxy means right belief—what you believe to be true about God, the world, and yourself.

• Orthopraxy means right practice—how your beliefs show up in your life: in your relationships, your words, and your decisions.

Jesus put it like this:

"You’ll know a tree by its fruit."

If your beliefs are producing a life full of anxiety, anger, or contempt—and that’s your regular reality—it might be time to ask: Is this truly what I believe? Is this what’s really shaping me?

The fruit Jesus talks about in Galatians 5 looks very different from a life shaped by worry and fear. And let’s be honest—there’s a multi-billion-dollar industry working hard to keep us discontent, anxious, and afraid.

So, it becomes a kind of spiritual act of defiance to pray and live out these attributes each day.

The Nine Fruits of the Spirit

In Galatians 5, Paul gives us this list:

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Let’s walk through them together. As you read, reflect on this question:
What is growing in me?

1. Love

We often think of love in terms of Hallmark movies—feel-good, sentimental love. But the love of Jesus is something else entirely: cross-carrying, enemy-loving, mercy-extending love.

Each day, we get to ask: How can I love the person in front of me today? Especially the one who annoys me—or even the one I consider my enemy.

2. Joy

Some say joy isn’t the same as happiness, and others ask: What’s joy if not happiness?

Joy isn’t pretending everything is great. It’s a deep and lasting sense of well-being because you belong to God.

Joy can look like Paul and Silas singing hymns in prison—holy defiance in the face of despair.

3. Peace

Peace isn’t the absence of conflict. It’s the presence of Christ, even in chaos.

One of the biggest enemies of peace is holding a grudge. Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened was okay—it means what happened will no longer have power over your future.

Forgiveness clears the ground where peace can grow.

4. Patience

Patience is love that lingers.

It waits, it listens, it refuses to rush God’s work in others—or in ourselves. Patience has staying power. It chooses not to take shortcuts or give up too soon. It stays in process.

5. Kindness

Fred Rogers once said the secret to success is three things:

“Be kind. Be kind. Be kind.”

That’s how Jesus treated people: the broken, the overlooked, the outcast. Kindness is how God treats us.

And when we see true kindness, we know it.

6. Goodness

Goodness is everything that is rooted in God.

It’s honorable, upright, virtuous. It stands in contrast to what is disconnected from God.

When we participate in good things, we are participating with God.

7. Faithfulness

Faithfulness shows up—and keeps showing up.

In a world that says it’s okay to quit, faithfulness says, “I’m not leaving. I won’t throw you away. I’ll keep my word.”

Faithfulness stands out because it chooses covenantal love even when things are messy or hard.

8. Gentleness

Gentleness is strength under control.

Think of an ox plowing a field: massive strength, but directed for good. That’s gentleness.

Jesus showed this on the cross. He could have come down—but instead, He endured for the sake of love.

9. Self-Control

The Bible only talks about one kind of control: self-control.

I don’t know about you, but I love trying to control everything except myself—my circumstances, my people, my schedule.

Self-control isn’t white-knuckling. It’s choosing to control what you can: your response.

You can’t control everything, but you can always choose your response.

Closing Reflection

So today, we invite you to reflect:
What kind of fruit is growing in your life?

Remember—you don’t grow this fruit by sheer effort. You grow it by staying connected to the Vine, the true vine of Jesus.

A Blessing for You

Receive this blessing for the day ahead:

May the Spirit of Christ fill you with love when you feel empty,
With joy when the road is long,
With peace when things are uncertain,
And with patience for both yourself and others.

May you walk in kindness, live in goodness,
Be faithful when it’s hard,
Gentle in a loud world,
And free in the Spirit’s self-control.

You, my friends, are God’s beloved.
Go and bear good fruit in Jesus’ name.

So much love to you today. We’ll see you next time.