The Fruit of the Spirit: A Life Under Control
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Self-control. This is the ninth and final fruit of the Spirit. When you are connected to the Spirit, you have the power to discipline and crucify even the strongest lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:17). I once heard a story of a pastor who never taught self-control to his people because he couldn’t govern his own eating habits. Shame on him! This last fruit of the Spirit should never be overlooked because of someone’s fleshly inadequacies or impulses. Someone who lacks self-control in one area inadvertently leaves the door open to lacking self-control in other areas of...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Gentle and Strong
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Gentleness is the eighth fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for gentleness is praus. It’s the only adjective Jesus ever uses to describe himself (Matthew 11:30). The word literally means “bridled power.” Picture a fierce, strong stallion who is bridled by a rider. It is able to run and jump over high walls, but because of the bridle in its mouth is able to correctly direct the powerful force within. This is true gentleness. Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” Other translations say to let your gentleness be...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Full of Faith
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. One element of faithfulness is seeking to cultivate a life full of faith. Pursuing faith. Questing after it. Asking God for more and more faith. Constantly living in a way that says to our Father, “I believe but help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). After all, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Take a moment and read through Hebrews 11. Many scholars refer to this chapter as the “Hall of Faith” because it highlights the faith that is woven throughout all of Scripture in different characters. Hebrews...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Do Good to Everyone
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…then the sixth fruit of the Spirit is goodness. Galatians 6:10 says we are to “do good to everyone.” God is good and his mercies endure forever (Psalm 100:5). There is nothing evil in him. He cannot coexist with evil because he is good and there can be no evil in him. Because God is good, his actions toward us are always good. Even in the midst of pain and confusion, his goodness reigns. As followers of Jesus, we can remain confident that he will work all things together for our good according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). This...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Be Kind
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The fifth fruit of the Spirit is kindness. The dictionary definition of kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” What a rich word! In the Greek language (chrestotes), it is defined as excellence or uprightness. Kindness is a fruit that is mostly directed toward another person. Generally speaking, kindness is meant to benefit those who are in our immediate circle and those around the world. Kindness is what drives the bride of Christ to serve and to give our lives away. Kindness is what compels us to a life of sacrifice. Jesus calls his...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Patience is a Virtue…
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Patience is a virtue… but it’s also a fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit are an all for one and one for all package deal. Once you abide in Christ and Christ in you, you will bear much fruit (John 15:5). When we are abiding with Jesus, connected to the Spirit, we will operate in patience. The word patience in the Greek is makrothymia. It means long suffering or fortitude. It implies a willingness to be willing to wait in spite of what our eyes can see. In the Amplified Bible, patience is described not as “the ability to wait, but how we act while...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: “Peace I Leave With You”
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The third fruit of the Spirit is peace. The movie Sister Act 2 has an incredible scene where the nuns perform the song “Ball of Confusion” in a nursing home. Every time I hear this song, I’m reminded that the chaos of humanity has always existed. There has never been a time in history where the devil has not desired to release a ball of confusion all over the world. As the song says, “So, round and around and around we go. Where the world’s headed, nobody knows.” But in the midst of chaos, Jesus entered the chaos of this world and said, “Peace I leave with you;...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Choose Joy
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Joy is a choice. As our church’s worship leader says in one of the “I will choose joy!” This one doesn’t always come naturally. Without Jesus, it can feel impossible to walk in joy in the midst of this broken world. Remember, where one fruit is present, all nine are present. They are interdependent. But I do love the order because love and joy walk hand in hand. Joy proves that our affections are rightly aligned with God’s will. Joy flows out of a heart that loves him. When you are so intimate with the Father in heaven and his Son, Jesus, the Spirit gives our...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: First Comes Love
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick When you have an intimate connection with Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit is evident. The overflow of a Spirit-filled life is a Spirit-led life where the fruit of the spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 are found in ample supply. The first fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is the first fruit of Godly attributes and character found in the life of a believer. I find it so significant that love appears first. The Greek word here is agape. It means unconditional acceptance of another person just the way he or she is. No strings attached. The word agape is used to describe...
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The Fruit of the Spirit: An Introduction
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The fruit of the Spirit is one of my favorite things to teach. In fact, every time I think about this topic, I immediately flash back to my daughter Bethany’s 6th birthday party. It was a “fruit of the Spirit” themed party. I dressed up as her favorite character called “Sunny Love Tree” and each child who came to the party was given a different fruit of the spirit. That party was one for the books! Much like I, as a Father, long to see my children walking in the light, Jesus longs to see his followers abiding in him. A life that displays the fruit of the Spirit is a...
info_outlineProverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Do you know what I have found to create the deepest of bonds between faithful friends? Even more than being a brother or a fellow worker? Someone who is a fellow soldier! It is the third term Paul uses to describe Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25.
A faithful friend who is a fellow soldier understands that we are at war. There is a battle raging for souls until Jesus returns. A fellow soldier counts the cost of what is happening and sees the eternal victory. A fellow soldier is poised and ready for battle. A fellow soldier identifies enemies and threats and seeks to protect those around them. These traits make for a truly faithful friend.
Interestingly, Epaphroditus became ill while visiting Paul in the Roman prison. We don’t know exactly what the disease was, but it was serious. It almost cost Epaphroditus his life! But God had mercy on him (verse 27) and spared him.
Nothing will draw you closer to another than to go through a huge crisis together. And fight together for the victory. Epaphroditus cared for Paul in prison, not knowing if he was going to die and Paul cared for Epaphroditus in a near death illness, not knowing if he was going to die. They both learned how to fight for one another and contend for a breakthrough!
The fight against evil in this world is real. When you battle together with someone in spiritual warfare, fighting against the wiles of the enemy, and eventually overcome the problem, you tend to remain close to that person forever.
Look at people in your church as your “fellow soldiers.” Recognize that you are in a war. And as you fight and win together, you might just find another faithful friend!