Patience, Kindness, Goodness
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Galatians 5:22-23 CSB
When I first started going to church, I had heard the fruit of the Spirit called “the gifts from the Spirit” and that has always stuck with me. We aren’t guaranteed these things: love, peace, goodness, etc. Life and the world actually do their best to rob us of them. It’s hard to have joy with the heartbreak around us. It’s hard to be kind when kindness is rewarded with meanness. It’s hard to have self-control when technology makes everything so addictive.
But, as followers of God, we have this wonderful promise of these gifts.
Patience
One of the biggest ways that I fall short each and every day is with patience. I don’t take the time to be patient. I want my son to put his shoes on NOW, because we’re running LATE! I want this car in front of me to MOVE IT, because they’re going thirteen under the speed limit and stop for six minutes at each stop sign! I want, I want, I want.
A lack of patience is founded in a me-centered outlook on the situation. When all I’m focused on is myself, there’s no way for me to be patient with others.
DeeDee spoke last week about the first part of these gifts, and recognized that love is where the verse starts! To quote her, “coincidence? I think not.”
We cannot be patient with each other, or with the situations we find ourselves in, without love.
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 CSB
Paul reminds us that we cannot love each other without being patient. Taking the time to bear life together can remind us of the patience that God has for us.
We are given this gift from the Spirit because the Spirit is God. (THE TRINITY!!!!!) We are only able to be patient, kind, good, etc. because God is these things.
We’ve spoken a bit about the attributes of God, click here for our super fun solo retreat where you can dive into the attributes of God! These attributes of God are so important to study, because they show us who He is! We cannot love Him without knowing Him.
But the cool part about these gifts/fruits of the Spirit, is that God is gifting us the ability to be more like Him!
Back in the Old Testament, we see example after example after example of God being patient with His people. Israel messes up and prays for help. God helps and they worship Him for a bit. Israel turns away from God and messes up. And it goes on! If you want to see the best example of this, read through the book of Judges.
Let’s go back to the beginning. He does SO MUCH for Adam and Eve, giving them just ONE rule. Right? A rule that they completely ignore. God could have responded any number of ways, but instead He keeps them safe and allows them to live. He allows them to start the next generation of humans and He even tries to impart wisdom on their son before he commits an awful sin. God was there with them through it all.
We are gifted this same patience, from this same God. Our God.
Kindness
Following the same train of thought of Adam and Eve, God could have easily turned those four hundred years of silence between the old testament and the new testament into an eternity of silence. But instead, He allowed His only son to come to earth, born in a manger, so that we could have eternity with Him.
Let’s say the verse together, y’all.
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 CSB
We deserve condemnation. We do not deserve God’s kindness and mercy, but He gave it anyway. That’s what our entire faith is built on! The fact that we don’t deserve it, but God gives it.
And again, this gift has been given to us to show to others!
It’s so hard to show mercy, forgiveness, kindness, especially when the world is full of people who are mean and hurtful.
But, none of these people we come in contact with have crucified us. None of these people we interact with have betrayed us and led us to our death. Jesus was, and He still forgave. He still had mercy. He still showed His kindness by dying for us anyway.
We have the ability to show this kindness, even in the hardest times, and be the examples of Christ that we are called to be!
Goodness
I used to think “goodness” just meant to do the right thing. But, God’s goodness is shown in His holiness. God’s goodness is in His purity and righteousness.
This isn’t just about going the speed limit or following society's rules; it’s about leaving the impurities of our flesh behind. Turning completely away from sin and completely towards God.
God is good (great, lovely, wonderful, magnificent!) because He is completely perfect. Now, while we will always fall short of perfect, we do have the Spirit reminding us when to say no to those temptations.
The temptation to yell at someone out of frustration, the temptation to gossip about the people we know, the temptation to lust. There are so many things that have been normalized in our world that are defiling our hearts before God.
Disobeying God, that’s what sin is, and God is incapable of doing that. The Spirit is incapable of doing that. Our gift here is the ability to lean into God Himself when those temptations come, something that is only given to born again Christians.
All in all, the fruits of the spirit are beautiful gifts that we have access to, if we are born again and take the time to rely on God for it. The Spirit is faithful to supply, so long as we go to Him.
So, the next time you think about patience as this thing we don’t pray for so that God doesn’t test us, remember that you already have it. You also already have the perfect example to pull from.
I want to challenge you all to see the fruits of the Spirit as the biggest gift we have, just after salvation. It’s our ability to know God and to model our life after Him. It isn’t something to take for granted.