OWN IT!

You don't own it until you experience it!

Owning the Fruit of the Spirit

A cute children’s song sticks in my head from long ago. “The fruit of the Spirit is not a banana….” Nor is it a watermelon, cumquat, or any other tasty fruit. It is nine separate yet interrelated characteristics of the Christian life. This fruit is what we are known by. It distinguishes us from the works of the flesh. It is what people see before they hear us. It is how we are recognized as followers of Jesus. When we commit some act of kindness, some performance of faithfulness, or some feat of discipline others see through the act to the motivation, the inner garden where this fruit grows. Just as Adam and Eve were tasked with tending their garden, we too must tend ours, if it is to flourish. It is not enough to have gloves, the hoe, the hat, the water hose, and the wheelbarrow. These are tools, not fruit. The Bible, church buildings, small groups, lesson plans, songbooks, and morning devotionals are tools, not fruit.

The fruit of the Spirit is experiential through and through. The little sticker on the apple you pick out at the grocery store is not part of the fruit. It can easily peel off. The apple is not experienced by reading the label. You can stick it on your forehead, but this will not make you an apple. The world is looking for tangible proof that we are who we say we are. There is no better way to demonstrate the change Jesus has made in your life than to incorporate the nine fruits of the Spirit into your life. You don’t own them until you practice them consistently. You can tell people that you have the Holy Spirit inside of you. You can lift your hands and close your eyes in worship. You can hit your knees at the altar call. You can carry a Bible so big it takes a hand truck to move it. As the song says, “That don’t impress me much.” But show me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control and I might be convinced that you are taking this new life in Christ seriously. YOU DON’T OWN IT UNTIL YOU EXPERIENCE IT.