Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
In American culture, where prosperity is predominantly defined by personal definitions of comfort and leisure, two critical faith pillars are rigorously tested; self-control and perseverance. Without a strong faith foundation it is easy to be lured into the occasional sinful discretion. “Just privately log onto the Internet – temptation and allurement galore!” It is amazing to me that in God’s Word the Holy Spirits’ lists love as its first product and self-control as the last. Could it be that we experience, obtain and produce these “Holy’ fruit in this sequential, biblical order? Making love the easiest to produce and self-control has the hardest to obtain?
Our faith calls us to be in the world, but not of it. Still we make excuses for our continued failings and fall upon God’s grace to wash us clean from our stumbling inequities. We need God’s love, grace and mercy to give us the time and power to develop these fruits of our faith. In addition, we need the joy of the Lord to have the strength to persevere through all trails. It is only through our victories in Christ, through suffering, testing, temptation, and personal sacrifice can we experience the strengthening of these pillars of faith; self-discipline and perseverance.