The Fruit of the Spirit: Full of Faith

by David Chadwick

The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness.

One element of faithfulness is seeking to cultivate a life full of faith. Pursuing faith. Questing after it. Asking God for more and more faith. Constantly living in a way that says to our

Father, “I believe but help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

After all, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

Take a moment and read through Hebrews 11. Many scholars refer to this chapter as the “Hall of Faith” because it highlights the faith that is woven throughout all of Scripture in different characters.

Hebrews 11:1-3 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

When faithfulness is evident in your life, it does not just mean that you cultivate a life of faith, but it also means that you become more faithful. You become a person of your word. More loyal. More stable. You do what you say you’ll do. You let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12). You fight against thinking too highly of yourself, against vanity and selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3). You refrain from flattering yourself and self-congratulation.

A faithful and faith-filled life does what the Master Jesus tells you to do. A person of faithfulness has the greatest desire to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” at the end of life (Matthew 25:21).

Today, pray for God to grow faith inside of you, but also pray that God’s faithfulness will increase inside of you in every area of your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to be faithful to complete the work that Jesus has begun inside of you (Philippians 1:6).

The Fruit of the Spirit: Do Good to Everyone

by David Chadwick

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…then the sixth fruit of the Spirit is goodness. Galatians 6:10 says we are to “do good to everyone.”

God is good and his mercies endure forever (Psalm 100:5). There is nothing evil in him. He cannot coexist with evil because he is good and there can be no evil in him. Because God is good, his actions toward us are always good. Even in the midst of pain and confusion, his goodness reigns.

As followers of Jesus, we can remain confident that he will work all things together for our good according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). This reality and promise should leave us with immense peace.

Because of the love of Jesus, we are now able to display the goodness we have received from him to those around us. The bride of Christ should be the biggest display of goodness that the world has ever seen.

Goodness is another fruit that is outward in focus. When you are connected to the Spirit, goodness will flow through you and you will be a strong reflection of the Father’s goodness.

The church should be on a constant lookout for how to do good in this world. Why? So that we can reflect the goodness of God to others.

In Galatians 6:10, Paul shares how the Galatian Christians should be good toward one another. He says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

I pray today for God’s goodness to increase in your life by the power of the Spirit. Then, ask him how you can show his goodness in your world. Maybe it’s through an encouraging word? Giving someone a gift? Writing someone a letter? Sending someone some money? Pray and ask him to show you a good act that will reflect God’s goodness in and through you to someone else.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Be Kind

by David Chadwick

The fifth fruit of the Spirit is kindness.

The dictionary definition of kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” What a rich word! In the Greek language (chrestotes), it is defined as excellence or uprightness.

Kindness is a fruit that is mostly directed toward another person. Generally speaking, kindness is meant to benefit those who are in our immediate circle and those around the world. Kindness is what drives the bride of Christ to serve and to give our lives away. Kindness is what compels us to a life of sacrifice.

Jesus calls his followers to serve, not to be served. Jesus himself “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

However, I will add, one will only be as kind to others as he or she is willing to be kind to himself or herself. You must learn to be kind to yourself so that your life will extend kindness to those around you. If you do not see yourself as a blood-bought, redeemed, purchased son or daughter of the Most High God, you will have a hard time treating others the way God sees them. As Paul said in Romans 2:2: “Let the kindness of God bring you to repentance.”

As you are reminded of your own forgiveness, you will show goodness to others. You will be generous with others. You will be able to show both sympathy and empathy. Empathy is especially important because it allows you to jump into someone else's shoes and have a heart of understanding for their situation. Empathy is the ability to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

This, too, is an attitude of God. It is the kindness of God that draws us to repentance. Seeing God’s kindness should prompt us to change our hearts to be more like him, eschewing anything that is contrary to his will and character.

As we pray and abide, may we all be driven deeper into the Spirit, who will then naturally give us more kindness toward others.