I admit when I first read this verse and the concept of the Sevenfold Spirit, I was baffled. Here they are listed…God’s empowering of the coming Messiah… the Spirit of the Lord, truth, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and piety. Then I followed this idea to the book of Revelation where John writes about the Sevenfold Spirit four times in his revelation of Jesus Christ, (Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, and 5:6). Finally, I followed it to Galatians where it is called the Sevenfold Graces (or Fruits of the Spirit) given to Believers by the Holy Spirit…truth, power, love, self-discipline, wisdom, judgement, and life. The Sevenfold Spirit is one of those wonderful mysteries of God that I may never understand, but still stand in total awe of.
Tag: fruit of the spirit
Colossians 2:6-7 ” So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith s you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Jesus says to us in John 15:4, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” For us, this means being rooted and established in the truth of the Gospel and trusting in the Lord daily. And from this will come a over-abundance of fruit in our life…of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
Mark 4:20 ” Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the Word, accept it, and produce a crop – thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”
Again we’re looking at the Parable of the Sower in this verse. The seed has been sown on good, fertile soil and has not only sprung up readily, but is bearing fruit. Our Christian walk is not a stagnant journey where we accept the Lord and never grow beyond the “Baby Christian” stage. We need a fruitful heart – a receptive, responsive heart willing to learn and grow. For the Lord wants us to be ever enlarging…ever growing…ever increasing…ever becoming more like Him.
Matthew 3:10 ” The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Healthy trees produce lots of fruit, so when they don’t, the orchardist looks deeper. The trees may look perfect from the outside, but hide disease within. Their roots may be withered and gnarled from lack of water or fertilizer. We too can look good on the outside, but be stunted within. We can act very spiritual in Church, say all the right things at Bible Study, and still be very withered inside. The Lord wants us healthy and productive – inside and out, for just like strong, hardy trees that produce lots of fruit… so should we.
I Corinthians 12:12-13 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Here Paul is comparing the human body with the body of Christ…the Church. Just as the many parts of the human body work together in complete harmony…each with its own unique purpose, the body of Christ – the Church and its many parts need to come together in like-mindedness also. And just like the human body, one part cannot work in isolation from the rest. That would be like one Sunday morning your heart getting up and deciding not to be part of your body that day! You may think that your presence at Church doesn’t matter…but it does…the whole body suffers when one part is absent.
Hosea 10:12 ” Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”
Before you can plant, you must till the fallow soil. The ground may be hardened and full of weeds and rocks, but if the soil is well turned, the seed will grow and the rains will be able to soak in. As it is with our hearts…now is the Season to seek Him and to plow up the fallow areas of our hearts. Allow the showers of righteousness to soften your heart so that the fruit of the Spirit may flourish there.
Safetypinlove 