Pastor Adedayo Anjorin speaks on the importance of the ” fruit of the spirit” spoken of by Paul the Apostle in Galatians 5:22.
There are three triads of God’s supernatural and sweet power in our lives. These are not natural virtues but supernatural; they flow to us by God’s eternal un-created wonderful life. Actually they are more than ‘virtues. We cannot really call them virtues; they are simply the results of communion with God–the certain manifestations of the glorious life of God’s Spirit. All these precious ‘fruit’ are not separate but are one fruit residing in and flowing from One Glorious God. The first triad describes the life of the Spirit in its communion and enjoyment of The Lord. This is the life of the person joined to the Lord by him or her being united with him in one spirit,(1 Cor 6 17). The second is the same life in its manifestations in it’s dealings with men. These dealings are often (though not always )problematical.. The third triad of virtues describes the life of God sustaining us in life’s hardships and trials we experience in relation to the difficulties of the world, and of ourselves.
Love, Joy and Peace
So the first triad are 3 fruits we have because of our vision and fellowship with God. Let’s look at these three virtues.
Love
Scripture tells us that ” God is Love”, (1 John 4:8). Love is the very nature and essence of God. It is not so much that God loves, but that God is love. This love love ( the original Greek word ‘agape’) is the highest divine love. This love blazes with true benevolence to give the one loved what is needed for his ultimate good; it does not supply what is desired. For a man to show love to God he must first receive and appropriate God’s divine love. He also needs to have have received this divine love to truly love others.
The supply of God’s divine love to his children is the source of every other fruit, causing them to live in a supernatural realm. It also inspires the believing ones to love all his children ( as well as bear their shortcomings and weaknesses). This divine love in the believers heart teaches out powerfully to all mankind.
Joy
Christian Joy is a consequence of God’s love poured into our hearts. Joy is an emotion poured into men’s lives, because in their hearts abides ‘ agape love’ from God.
Our Lord and saviour promised to impart this joy to us; this joy would be richly full and it would be a joy that would remain forevermore. When this joy takes possession of our hearts it is able to fill every nook and cranny with ‘unspeakable joy! When Christ is our possession and portion ( as one hymn writer wrote) ..
“His forever only His,
Who the Lord from me can part,
Oh with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart,
Birds with gladder songs overflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know as now I know I am His and he is mine.
Patience, Kindness and Goodness
The second ‘ triad of fruit’ deals with the qualities in our lives in dealing with others.
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