Love…
Joy…
Peace…
Patience…
Kindness…
Goodness…
Faithfulness…
Gentleness…
Self-Control…
Against such fruit there are no rules. (Gal. 5:22)
If you want to know what God is like, this fruit is a great place to start.
If it doesn’t look like this, it isn’t of God.
If it looks like this, God is involved, through His Spirit, in some way.
This is the fruit that grows on God, and it is the fruit that nourishes mankind.
What is God like?
God is Love… (1 John 4:16).
So Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13 is describing what God is like…
God is patient…
God is kind…
God does not envy…
God does not boast…
God is not proud… (think about that for a second… I mean if anyone in the universe has a legitimate reason to be proud, it would be God, right?)
God does not dishonor others… (this means that God, generally, resists the temptation post stuff on twitter and comment on Facebook posts)
God is not self-seeking…
God is not easily angered… (who needs to see this today? I’ll write this one again in case some people missed it.)
God is not easily angered…
God keeps no record of wrongs… (this is one of the biblical clauses that messes with our theology. How would your view of God change if you realized he wasn’t keeping track of your “wrongs”?)
God does not delight in evil… (it grieves him!)
But rejoices with the truth…
God always protects… (this makes me feel safer)
God always trusts… (think of the work he has entrusted to us!)
God always hopes… (he hasn’t given up on any of us, and never will!)
God always perseveres… (talk about staying power, sheesh!)
God’s love never fails… (Period. His love ultimately triumphs. Is that a comforting thought?)
And out of his nature of Love comes fruit,
Love fruit…
… so, what is the Love fruit of God like?
You can combine some of the fruit and get deeper glimpses into this dynamic love.
Joy + peace = tranquility = the fruit of God
Peace + Patience = calm long-suffering = the fruit of God
Goodness + kindness = compassion = the fruit of God
Faithfulness + gentleness = sensitive strength = the fruit of God
Goodness + self-control = righteousness = fruit of God
Joy + kindness + gentleness = tenderness = the fruit of God
Love + goodness + faithfulness = justice = the fruit of God
Patience + faithfulness + self-control = hanging in there = the fruit of God
So, the fruit of God, rooted in his nature of Love, produces multiple varieties of fruit in our lives.
As we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us, I’m mindful that this means his fruit is with us too.