SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH DEVOTIONAL FOR CHILDREN: “Fruit Of The Spirit’

DAILY BREAD: A DEVOTIONAL FOR THE CHILDREN

Eastern Nigeria Union Conference Children’s Ministries Department

THEME: I WILL GO

Friday, October 22, 2021

Topic: Fruit of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Gal. 5:22-23

Jesus compares good fruit with godly living (Luke 6:43-45), and in our passage today, Galatians 5:16-26, Paul used “fruit” to help us understand something about the work of the Spirit who lives inside every believer. The fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Spirit, not by the Christian. The word “fruit” is singular, showing that it is a unified whole, not independent characteristics. As we grow, all the characteristics of Christ will be manifested in our lives.

Yet, like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. Like a successful gardener must battle against weeds to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to rid our lives of the “weeds” of our old sin natures that want to choke out the work of the Spirit.

Which do you prefer—mealy, tasteless apples, or crisp, fleshy sweet apples? Almost certainly, you prefer good fruit, right? Unfortunately, no one can produce good spiritual fruit on their own. That effort is doomed to failure. Only with the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts can we know Jesus and begin to produce the life-enriching fruit of the Spirit.

Working together with the Spirit, we bear the marks of a godly life in our daily living. The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject those old sinful desires. We can say “no” to sin and accept the “way out” God faithfully provides (1 Corinthians 10:13) by following the Holy Spirit’s leading. As we give the Spirit more control of our lives, He begins to do in and through us what only He can do – to shape us and grow us to look like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Since God’s goal for all His children is for us to be like Jesus (Romans 8:29), the Holy Spirit constantly works to rid our lives of the “result of sin’s control” (Gal 5:19) and display His fruit instead. Therefore, the presence of the “fruit of the Spirit” is evidence that our character is becoming more like Christ’s.

What kind of fruit are you producing? Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit is a handy guide to see how you’re doing in your walk with Jesus. Ask the Spirit today and every day to work in your heart to produce good and wholesome spiritual fruit.

Song
Fruitful trees, the Spirit’s sowing,
May we ripen and increase,
Fruit of life eternal growing,
Rich in love and joy and peace.
2
Laden branches freely bearing
Gifts the Giver loves to bless;
Here is fruit that grows by sharing,
Patience, kindness, gentleness.
3
Rooted deep in Christ, our Master,
Christ, our pattern and our goal,
Teach us, as the years fly faster,
Goodness, faith, and self control.

Prayer
Dear Jesus, forgive us when our lives produce bad fruit. Please send your Spirit to produce in us fruit that is pleasing and glorifying to God. Amen.