Rooted in the Spirit
Daily Scripture
Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified self with its passions and its desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Nobody plants an apple tree and then stands over it barking orders to produce apples. The tree either has healthy roots, water, and light, or it doesn’t, and the fruit follows accordingly. Paul picked that image deliberately. He didn’t call these nine qualities the “works” of the Spirit, a word he’d just used for the flesh’s list a few verses earlier. He called them “fruit,” something that grows out of a life connected to its source rather than something you manufacture by trying harder.
That distinction matters on a hard week. If patience feels thin and your temper feels short, the answer isn’t trying harder to act patient. It’s asking a deeper question: What has been nourishing my life this week? Have I been abiding in the Spirit, or have I been running on my own reserves?
- Which single fruit on Paul’s list—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control—has felt thinnest in you this week? Where might God be inviting you to reconnect with the Spirit?
- Think of someone whose fruit, their patience or kindness, has genuinely fed you recently. Have you told them that? What would it cost you to let them know their fruit mattered to you?
Prayer
Faithful God, I confess that I often try harder instead of drawing closer. Teach me to remain rooted in your Spirit, trusting that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are fruit you grow in me over time. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
I was thinking that the Fruit of the Spirit can be viewed as a benefits package for believers. Here’s how a Human Resource discussion might go:
Good morning. Have a seat. Welcome to Trinity, Inc. I see you are applying for our D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E. team. That’s our lingo for a Devoted Individual Seeking Christ In Purpose & Love Eternally. I’ve been reviewing your application & let’s look at a few of your essay responses.
Hmm. Yes, I suppose when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush it could be considered the first use of “Hot Spot” technology.
Um, actually Samsonite refers to a follower of the ancient Israelite Judge, Samson, not a set of luggage.
I’m not sure about tennis being Moses’ favorite sport. Yes, I know he served in Pharaoh’s court, but most scholars don’t think this is referring to tennis.
So, let’s talk about the benefits package for a D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.
When you begin to truly recognize how much God loves you (You!) it starts a transformation of our self-worth that far exceeds any paycheck or promotion. This realization of God’s love then generates joy where your sense of happiness is no longer tied to your circumstances. This joy leads to feelings of peace that comes from a new perspective on life that help you cope with the messiness of everyday life.
Now, like a snowball rolling downhill, this new-found view of life then begins to display itself to those around us in never-before-seen levels of patience that will shock even yourself, acts of kindness where you genuinely encourage others & not merely tolerate them, & doing good deeds even when no one will notice. At this point of your transformation, friends & family will really begin to notice the difference.
Then, we circle back to our internal behavior by making sure we are faithful & trustworthy in all of our dealings, that we display gentleness in our conversations & social media posts, & finally practice self-control as we look to control our temper, our tongue, & even our ego.
This transformation is not something we earn or do on our own. It actually comes from surrendering ourselves to God & inviting the Holy Spirit to change us, to improve us, to help us strive to be as Christ-like as possible.
What’s that? Yep, this benefit package seems be too good to be true & we’ll definitely fall short of these ideals at times. Fortunately, the Founder of Trinity, Inc. is extremely loving & forgiving; that’s why Trinity, Inc. was voted #1 workplace in the world.
You’d like to sign up & be a D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.? Awesome! Just stop by any of our five million locations around the globe & our friendly staff would love to answer any questions & help you with your onboarding. So glad to have you join us!
Oh, one last thing. Um, “Sign Here” means we need your signature, not “Sagittarius.” Now we are set. Have a great day!
