The Spirit - Fruits of The...

Beads of Joy 04-28-10

The Spirit - Fruits of The Spirit
©2010 James Dacey, Jr. SFO

Life in The Spirit 3/5
Hello Everyone,

I pray that everyone is gaining there own personal insights in this weeks reflections and the love that is captured in the Holy Spirit. This week is going by so fast, here we are already at Day 3. Let's begin with a scripture to reflect upon, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10. Jesus wants us live a life that is so full and so abundant beyond anything we could possibly imagine, and note that this life isn't only about our eternity with Him; but more immediate to our life, our present one, now. The Holy Spirit that dwells inside each of us has so much fruit for us to pick from. This fruit will help mold our lives and transform our lives into the character and witness God so wants us to be. Let us learn a little fruitology today, Ok I just made up that word. LOL. Sorry I am so thrilled and I feel so blessed to be able to share all this with everyone. But back to the fruit. LOL, think about it in a theological way; all fruit has seeds. And what is the purpose of seeds you ask? Answer: To grow more of its very own fruit of cause. LOL. There is so much JOY when we speak of the Holy Spirit. Today we look at all the spectacular gifts (the fruit) along with the Holy Spirit that we have been given.

Jesus refers to Himself as the vine, and to us as the branches, ""I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5. What is He talking about? Back to my own world of fruitology. LOL, fruit grows from the branches. The vine is the root in which life flows through to the branches so that the fruit can be formed, so it can be picked, so more fruit can grow. So connecting all of that together, we can see that it is very important for us to stay very close to Jesus in order for us to bear fruit. We have to do this in order for us to be able to bear fruit. We have to realize that through all this good we are aiming for, there is something evil that lurks around while we are trying our best to serve God. You know what it is? It's our flesh. Yes our flesh is good and holy, after all God created us in His image. But we must know that there is a battle in this world between the spirit where God lives and the flesh where the world lives. And that battleground is inside each of us.

But I am here to share much good news. We can defeat the flesh by allowing the Holy Spirit to work God's will through us. The fruit of the spirit is jam packed with God's love and wisdom, and it's all there for us to take hold of. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23. I encourage all of us to take some time and evaluate our own lives and see where we truly stand with what fruit we possess and which fruit we want to possess. You may surprise yourself, so many people have so many really inspiring qualities; that until you sit down and evaluate your life you may have never seen them brought into the light. We belong to Jesus, He purchased us on the cross, so our passions and our weaknesses must also be crucified with Him. The work of the flesh will no doubt fight us along the way. Jesus clearly warns us that by doing so, we will not inherit eternal life with Him. "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21.

Jesus is very clear. Let us rather store up treasures where none of those sinful acts can enter. Turn and run as fast as you possibly can from all of those detesting acts of sin. Nothing in this life is of any eternal lasting value that will bring us close to Jesus. On the contrary all that will do is send us straight to hell for all eternity, never ever being allowed to be in God's presence ever again. Nothing on this earth is worth losing that over. So instead focus all our attention on the fruit we have been give. There's a saying when people get depressed, they say, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade." That's looking at the positive in the midst of the negative. Well the same holds true if we only see fruit as fruit. I say, "When life gives you fruit that is from God; share it, nurture it, plant it, make your farm one that draws others to Jesus." Be bold, don't be afraid, there's no time in this life for that. Satan's claws will dig into your heart of fear and pull you away from God, offering you immediate pleasure. Do not listen to his lies. Instead start picking and sharing God's fruit with everybody.


Your brother in Christ Jesus & His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr SFO