Brothers and sisters, another thing that I am inspired by as I continue learning more about Jesus is this.  Gifts from God. Let’s look at the Fruits of the Spirit found in the Bible.

Joy?  Patience? Gentleness?  Erked me. HOW. I am not joyful, I am not patient and I am not gentle.

What I have come to understand is that they are gifts, they are not possible by human nature. The gifts that are mentioned in those verses are miracles from God. They are asked for. We pray about them, and they are gifted by the Holy Spirit through Jesus, our Father.  “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Those who are in Christ are distinguished from unbelievers in that they have been gifted with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to bear fruit. (google search)

What does it mean to bear fruit? Here is what google defined it as: it’s the effort that you put into something or a particular way of doing something bears fruit, it is successful and produces good results. Isn’t that very misleading? I have to put in the effort?

That’s why Christians shouldn’t seek wisdom from Google. It’s so messed up and off our moral code. It’s misleading if you are seeking a path to Jesus, always seek Godly wisdom. Always.

^{Galations 5:22-23}  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

What does the last part of that verse mean? Against such things there is no law? John MacArthur says that it is when a Christian walks by the Spirit and manifests his fruit, he needs no external law to produce the attitudes and behavior that please God. Read more by clicking the link. It’s good stuff.

What does manifest mean? display or show (a quality or feeling) by one’s acts or appearance; demonstrate.

Do we only manifest or show others? Or does it go further than that? Must we embody the Holy Spirit to manifest Heavenly gifts, the gifts are evidence of our faith, because we are not blaspheming the Holy Spirit, He is able to do good works in us. All we need to do is ask and remain humble to his glorious ways.

Do we enjoy the gift as a personal treasure from God to us? And through the gift – because it was first asked and received, it can then be given to others by example. Because it was given to us first, and we acknowledge that it isn’t actually ours alone, fabricated by us, or deserved of by us, that we can humbly present the fruit to unbelievers, and believers alike.

I understand this better by using this example: I ate at the BEST family-owned restaurant ever! The food, the hospitality, the ambiance, the prices, oh man, all were amazing, top quality! I experienced this as a gift, I found it. I took it all in, tasted it first. Do I keep that amazing gift to myself? NO, absolutely not! I give the information away to everyone I know and love. It’s a treasure! I share it.

But I had to have it first, in a personal way. If shared that information without experiencing it first hand, then my words are empty. They are worthless and my fruit is rotten.

We don’t not bear the fruit to give it away- we first receive the fruit.  My confusion about the fruits of the spirit was the receiving and giving part. You don’t give the fruits away, you enjoy them as a gift from God. The only way to share them is to know how awesome they are in the first place – to experience it first-hand. To taste and see that God is good and His gifts are miracles – not man-made and can never be manufactured by ourselves.

Wisdom and understanding of the Bible are absolutely impossible with human eyes.  You can’t simply read the words of the Bible and know what they mean. The meaning is Spirit given. You actually can’t even read the Bible without permission – it’s gibberish. You have blinders on until Jesus takes them away by the power of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is a gift.

The Bible is an absolute miracle on Earth.  How are it’s words are blinded for all who read it without asking for permission first?  How is it that you must be inspired by the Holy Spirit in order to understand it?  Do you follow me in my sense of awe and wonder of Jesus!?  His miracles are never ending. Amen!

That gift of understanding the Bible also translates to all of the other fruits of the Spirit. The one I struggled with most recently was Joy.

Joy is a gift, you have NO control over it. Joy is not a feeling, like happiness, it is an experience, it’s a lifestyle of being in love with God first. It is a miracle. You don’t give your joy away, you receive it. Joy must first be experienced for you to understand it. It is from the Lord, you are given it from the Holy Spirit.  You must ask for it in order to experience it. 

Let’s look at the life of Paul and consider why he wrote his letters the way he did, and explained his circumstances in that way as well:

Why did Paul sing God’s praise when he was in jail, in chains? Why did he always say he was HONORED to suffer for Jesus? Did he have the gift of JOY? Was he able to see outside of his circumstances and understand Heaven? Was he able to control his focus away from earthly things and embody a celestial and spiritual eternity? Was he able to throw himself down at the feet of his Creator while all earthly belongings and family were stripped away from him, all comfort? Paul’s health? He lived with his thorn in his side, and still he was thankful, grateful, praising the Lord? Why? Was he a superhero? Was he insane? Was he embodying the miracle of Joy because of his faith? Did God bless him through the Holy Spirit – Paul’s GUIDE – every Christian’s guide – because that is what God promised ALL OF US – the fruits of the Spirit! ALL OF US – if we ask, we receive.

Patience?  Yup – a gift – you can’t achieve it on your own.  All of the fruits are ONLY gifts.  So, in awe and wonder of our Father in Heaven, let’s remember to ask for these gifts, be so thankful for them when we receive them, and be constantly aware of the MIRACLES that happen within us as we unfold more layers of what being a Christian really is. 

And yes, are you mad at that information like I was, joy? In suffering? That’s stupid, and impossible, why would I ever feel happy about being in pain? 

I felt that way because the gift was not revealed to me. I didn’t know what joy was. I thought it was a feeling – like happy. NOPE, that’s not what joy is – joy is a gift from the Holy Spirit and it does not come from a feeling you can conjure inside of yourself, it’s a miracle that is born from faith and given from our Father.  Amen.

So if you are feeling mad at joy, or any of the fruits of the Spirit, please simply understand it is because you have not received it. I know, cause I was there. Talk to God about it, ask for the Holy Spirit to allow you to have the gift. Humble yourself. Rejoice in another day of learning and “levelling up” with Jesus. This Christian life is never boring, it never gets stagnant or dull, it is ever only better each day that passes, as we grow more and more closer to our Lord, may the peace of His real-ness and Glory and overwhelming love bless all of us, and allow our Christian family to grow. The Great Commission Guys, share the joy, once you get it, make sure you share it. I love you. Jesus loves you. The Bible told me so!

The Bible is a miracle, it’s a gift, it’s never boring, never not worth reading.  Life is better, life is just simply better, when we live it with Jesus.  Who knew that a gift could be joy in suffering? There seems to be so much suffering all around us. SO much uncertainty all around us if we are focused on earthly things. If you ever feel spun out by your fear, find your Bible, cling to it – don’t even open the pages, just hold it close to your chest, pray for help. Just say, “Please Jesus help me.” Rest in that prayer for a while until your heart starts to calm. Then open the pages of Love – God’s love. The whole Bible resonates – Jesus loves you. Hope is found there. The Holy Spirit will guide you.

Dear Lord, Please help us as we walk together in faith. Please gift us with more understanding of the Bible, more desire to know you, more wisdom, more power in our faith. Rise us up to be more submissive to you, allow YOU to do good works for you with the Power of the Holy Spirit within us. It has nothing to do with us, and EVERYTHING to do with you. We love you so much Jesus, thank you for helping us recognize that whatever is good, comes from you, it is NOT of ourselves but a gift from our Heavenly Father. Thank you so much for growing stronger and deeper in love with you Father. You are so good, so perfectly good. I cling to you as the world let’s you go. I beg for your forgiveness and pray that you would help me be less and please always be more. I love you Jesus, In your awesome and Holy Name, amen.