From the Heart by B.Demaere

I have read twice through the letter to the Galatian church, I realized that the whole book is linked to the fruit of the Spirit.   The ‘should’ and the ‘should not’ of the Law are erased by the belief we have in Jesus Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is produced by the faith we live by and have in Christ.   The evidence of the fruit of the Spirit is the fact we don’t do the works of the Law, but we obey by faith Jesus who lives in us. Consequently, life is simplest, and we no longer boast in our own works but in the works of Christ who died on the Cross for us.   We are only free if we believe the finished work of Christ. We have no obligation to the Law and are free to believe in the God of Love who dared to serve us and wash our feet. Our inheritance is guaranteed because of the promise made to Abraham.   We end up with the same blessings given to Abraham.   Certainly, we are not deserving of any of it, but we have them because of the promise that cannot be broken.   We serve

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace , patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting],   kindness, goodness,   faithfulness,   gentleness,   self-control.   Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)   The Danger of being without it We see the danger that this world has encountered while having no self control.   Please understand that self control is not just related to how much you take on your plate at dinner time.   Self control may even make you cringe as you consider the self discipline you will have to endure.   Simplicity It is not necessarily like that; it is first also produced by God’s Spirit in your life and so it can be taught to you by that same Spirit.   It could be as simple as holding your tongue from speaking certain words.   Having your whole body voluntarily controlled by the Holy Spirit.   It comes from a dail

Peace is a beautiful thing to have in this chaotic world where it is sometimes sought after through drugs and alcohol and other means.   To the born-again Christian it is a peace that is meaningful with a person called Jesus Christ as the author of it. He is the Prince of Peace.   This peace comes by the Holy Spirit in the daily life of the Christian, but Christians are not perfect and still do become angry at the injustices around them. Learning the way of peace comes from a lifelong commitment to God and is experienced by this abiding Presence. “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace , … (Galatians 5:22 Amplified) Please note also that all the characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit are included in each other in perfect unity.   For example: Where is no love without patience and no patience without peace as well?     How can a person be patient if they have no peace?    How can one ha

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. Or rude It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, And it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice. But rejoice whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith. Is always hopeful, And endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)   Here we have love in its purest form.   Love of God is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and it is a gift for us to share with people and with God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives : love , joy, peace… (Galatians 5:22) This kind of Love can only be produced by the Spirit of God in us, otherwise our hearts only produce vanity and pride and all kind of prejudices. The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.   Who really knows how bad it is? (Jeremiah 17:9) That is why love that is not too far out of reach is available to us throug

  “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace “ (Galatians 5:22 Amplified)   Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, Yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8   KJV )   Because of my past with depression…Joy has evaded me many times.   Yet Joy is not even of this world, it belongs to Jesus.   Joy is not the feeling you experience at a party, but it is quieter than this. I believe joy is received when you live in the presence of God.   “ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence.” (Psalm 16:11 NLT)   It is not necessarily something we have and hold in greed but something that comes from within and flows unto others.   We give it away.   I thought that the description of love prior joy was an ‘unselfish’ clue.   In this world that is geared to the love of self, joy must stand out in a pleasant

  “ But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us ] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace , patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting],” (Galatians 5:22) This time let us look at the outcome of God’s presence within us.   Whenever we see the fruit of the Spirit we see the evidence of God’s presence.   The fruit and the presence go hand in hand. This is an online quote from www.machammond.org : “If you are like most believers, you probably cringe when you hear the word “patience.   To most Christians, being patient means gritting your teeth and hanging on by your toenails in hopes things will eventually get better.   We think it means, hang on until the bitter end or until Jesus comes back, whatever comes first. If you have been reluctant to ask for patience, I’ve got news for you today.   That’s not what the Bible means when it talks about being patient.   Bible patience is something very different.   In f

  As I was being tested, patience was required, and I was waiting with much complaining.   Then my wife encouraged me to read the Fruit of the Spirit out of the Amplified version of the Bible.   So, I did and here it is: “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace , patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting],   kindness, goodness,   faithfulness,   gentleness,   self-control.   Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These verses not only apply to us as we go through our daily life but especially as we wait for the Lord’s return.   How we act while we wait for him does matter and it is very important.   We learn as we go through trials.   For a lot of people, the word “patience” is not welcome in their vocabulary, and I can tell by my own life I am not the only one who finds it difficult to act well while we wait.   We can all wait as this