Devotions

Tough Fruit

You can probably rattle them off fairly quickly as you list the fruits of the Spirit.  But not all fruit is created equally…….

• Joy and Faithfulness – expressed vertically
• Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness – expressed horizontally
• Love – expressed vertically and horizontally
• The one that seems out of place in this group – Self Control

The apostle Paul says in the book of Romans

• Romans 7 – I realize that I don’t’ have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it.  I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it.  I decide not to do bad but I do it anyway

Every time I come across that passage I think the same thing – man that’s me.  The Bible speaks on the subject of self control often but puts it on this list because like every other fruit listed it’s not natural.  It’s natural to be out of control.  And in a self indulgent culture like the one we live in – that’s a dangerous quality.  That attitude was summed up by the writer of Ecclesiastes

• “I denied myself nothing that my heart desired”

That is a description of the country we live in.  Enjoy yourself – please yourself – satisfy yourself – take care of yourself – but one thing you wont’ hear on a commercial or radio spot is control yourself.  I think because of the freedom we have in Jesus we have walked so far away from the things the Lord wants for us and in this freedom we have simply let ourselves go.  It’s almost as if we’ve concluded since we have fire insurance we may as well strike matches in the house.  But Grace is not a license to sin and Jesus didn’t die for me so that I could do anything I want to do.  I have freedom thank God – I love living in freedom – but if I’m going to be all I can for God – then through the help of his Holy Spirit I better get ahold of myself.   Tough fruit no doubt – but well worth it in the end.