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Fruit of the Spirit

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Tonight we finish with the segment of Fruit that Paul actually begins with. This was intentional on my part.

We have noticed that Paul writes “Fruit” and not fruits of the spirit, but often this verse is misinterpreted, by myself included, to mean a singular unit. But, as the Holman commentary says that would be like walking up to a grape vine and plucking a cluster to find a grape, an apple, an orange, a banana, peach, pear, plum, blackberry and blueberry. Never going to happen

Like our English language, the Greek does not require the singular idea, but has a collective sense. These various areas of spiritual growth will be present, never all perfectly and never all continuously, and this list is not an exhaustive one. I end this series with a focus on the fruit of love, because it seems to be the one that all others can flow best from. You cannot be gentle and not love. You cannot longsuffer with someone and not love them. Love produces gratitude, and gratitude produces joy. You exhibit self-control towards temptation because you love God and want to please Him.

is called the love chapter but is often misconstrued to be written for weddings and anniversaries. It was written to the most trouble church in the world at the time, whose members had become the most divisive of any others, and satan had used people in the church to rip apart that body of Christ. Paul ends the chapter by saying:

1 Corinthians 13:13 CSB

Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 89: Castor Oil Love

Every day, at exactly the same time, Margaret would go to the bathroom cabinet, open it, and take out a huge bottle of castor oil. Then she would head to the kitchen to get a tablespoon. At the sound of the drawer opening and the silverware rattling, Patches, her Yorkshire terrier, would run and hide—sometimes under the bed, at other times in the bathtub or behind Margaret’s recliner.

Someone had convinced Margaret that Patches would have strong teeth, a beautiful coat, and a long life if she gave him a spoonful of castor oil every day. So, as an act of love every twenty-four hours, she cornered Patches, pinned him down, pried open his mouth, and poured a tablespoon of castor oil down his little doggie throat. Neither Patches nor Margaret enjoyed their daily wrestling match.

Then one day, in the middle of their battle royal, with one sideways kick, Patches sent the dreaded bottle of castor oil flying across the kitchen floor. It was a momentary victory for the canine, as Margaret let him go so she could run to the pantry and grab a towel to clean up the mess.

When Margaret got back, she was utterly shocked. There was Patches licking up the spilled castor oil with a look of satisfaction only a dog can make. Margaret began to laugh uncontrollably. In one moment, it all made sense. Patches liked castor oil. He just hated being pinned down and having it poured down his throat.

Welcome to the world of evangelism!

Love helps us to swallow things that do not taste so sweet about other people. Love also helps other people swallow things that ain’t so sweet about us.

1 Peter 4:8

1 Peter 4:8–9 The Message

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully.

1 Peter 4:8 The Message

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.

1 Peter 4:9 CSB

Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

Love is the beginning of being spiritually fruitful. Love is the winning element for reaching the lost. Love is the proof of imitating Jesus.

John 13:35 CSB

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”