“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law†(Galatians 5:22-23).
The last three in our “cluster of grapes†are faith (sometimes referred to as faithfulness), meekness, and temperance. These qualities touch on our inner character and how much we have changed our will over to the will of God.
I found this quote concerning “faithfulness.†“This quality recognizes that all of our actions, our thoughts, and our motives are under the constant observation of our loving heavenly Father.†Having faith is always necessary. Demonstrating that we are “faith-full†is important, too.
Our next quality is “meekness.†Some mistake this word for “weakness.†This is far from the truth. We have to be strong to push self out of the way to do the will of God. We have to be strong to be bold in our witness. In those strengths we must display humility.
Lastly, we find the word, “temperance.†Another term we use for that is “self-control.†Our “self-control†is under God’s control. If the latter is true in our lives, we aren’t going to be so open to the tricks and attacks of the devil.
In closing, Paul places the following phrase after he lists the nine qualities, “against such there is no law.†Paul wrote the first four chapters of Galatians to prove to the people they weren’t justified by the works of the law. Every quality mentioned in the “fruit of the Spirit†did not conflict with the law. The Spirit will never lead a person away from the laws of God. As we strive to give the Spirit control, He produces in us the same qualities we find in Christ. Thank God for the ministry of the Holy Spirit!
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for local WAC leadership as they guide their women’s groups.
