Listen to Devotion

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25

Loved By God, Go Out and Bear Fruit

Do you talk about plant life cycles with your students? The bean seed becomes a sprout and over time, eventually produces green beans, or with the right amounts of water, nutrients, and sunlight, an apple tree grows blossoms and eventually produces fruit. Today, we hear about not fruit

we can eat, but the fruit of the Spirit – characteristics that are produced in and mark the life of God’s people.

The book of Galatians lists the fruits of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Such attitudes and actions often stand in contrast to the way the world operates – the “me first,” or “what’s in it for me,” or “look out for yourself” mentality the culture around us encourages. And, on our own, we, too, think like that. Our sinful nature leads us to live in jealousy, selfish ambition, envy, and discord (see earlier verses in Galatians 5). We need no help thinking of ourselves first or failing to love those around us as God intends.

But we haven’t been left on our own! We have a Savior-God who has lived a perfect life in our place, who has died to pay for our sinfulness, who has risen again to ensure we have full and free forgiveness and eternal life with God our Father. So now, as God’s children, brought to faith by the Holy Spirit, we are changed by God’s love to live a new and different way – a way that recognizes and puts the needs of others first (just like God did for us). As our text says, those in Christ have “crucified” or rejected their sinful flesh and now “live by the Spirit.”

What does this look like in your life? Working in educational settings and with young children, we are given many opportunities to demonstrate love, to show patience, to model kindness, to teach forgiveness, to be faithful in our planning and ministry, to practice self-control, and to praise God in joy. Ask for God’s help in recognizing these opportunities and living in a way that helps your students, families, and coworkers better understand God’s character through the way you love and treat them.

The last part of our Bible verse encourages us to “keep in step with the Spirit.” In order to serve others in love, we need to be continually filled up with God’s love for us. Read his Word, spend time in prayer, sing a song of praise to him in the car on the way to work; let him fill you up with strength and give you peace as you go out and bear fruit (by God’s power) in the world around you.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for setting us free from sin to live for you. Continue to work in our hearts and lives that we become more like you – full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – in our interactions with others. Produce these same characteristics in our students and use them also to bring your love out into the world. Amen.