Fruits of the Spirit

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Galatians 5:22-23

So, so thankful it is Friday! I am once again in a desperate need for the weekend and I can't wait to be done with work today! It will be a true blessing when the clock strikes 5:45pm.

I love this rendition of the Fruits of the Spirit in "The Message" Bible. This is where I find all my texts and I love how it really describes the fruits here in the passage. As I was reading it, I didn't think that it was the correct text. I had just read Galatians 5:22 in the NRSV and didn't think that they sounded much alike at all. As I read on, I noticed that the text was describing the fruits of the spirit instead of just naming them. I love the mental picture and clarity I get from this interpretation.

When we live God's way, we have an "exuberance about life". In other words, we are full of energy and excitement about life! This is my desire! I really want to be full of excitement about life on a day to day basis! I want this to be my focus today and my prayer. God doesn't waiver from His promises and He said that if I am living in His way I will bear these fruits. Well, this is one of them and my prayer today is that I will radiate an exuberance for life!

No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! 1 John 4:12