I love ice cream in the summer! No, I love ice cream all year! I like and love all flavors. Some of my favorites are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, peach, coconut, pumpkin, and eggnog with toppings like fudge and nuts. I don’t have to think or count ice cream flavors and its varied toppings on my fingers, do you?
Many of us have been, for almost a year, in a multi-facet study of the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians five. This fruit has seven flavors. Can you name them?
Are we able to name them without looking them up?? Or, do we have to count them on our fingers and wonder why we can only name 5 not 7? Maybe we have not tried the different flavors in the last few weeks. Maybe we diet them trying to lose a few pounds so we can fit in our summer clothes from last year. But, hopefully, we will not only name them but have the fun and exciting pleasure of telling others just how wonderful our latest flavor was.
Did you know that two of them stick to your ribs like meatloaf and potatoes when digested properly? When you have experienced a nice meal of goodness and mercy it will nourish you and stick with you like none other. Look, read it for yourself….“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life; and you will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6,NKJ)
Did you name all seven flavors without a glitch? What is your favorite fruit flavor for today? What has it done to give you a summer thrill?
Note: correction, my mistake… there are nine and not seven named in the ‘fruit of the spirit.’ Again, read Galatians 5:22,23
thedailylily.com 
Ok, Sara, I will try without looking…..love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.
I couldn’t help but go look in my Bible to see how many I missed. I missed faithfulness.
Needles, you did great! Was it as easy as vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and wet walnuts from Dairy Queen?
Hey, faithfulness after all the bogs we have been doing on FAITH!
Yes, I could name them pretty easy, but I should not have missed faithfulness! Hay, speaking of sundaes…….I had one today, with strawberries and wet walnuts!! um umm ummm good!!
Oh, by the way, I count 9 fruits of the spirit and 7 ice cream flavors.
Yes, Tammy. I believe there are 9 manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit. There are 7 Spirits before the throne but 9 in the Fruit. All are declicious. I wonder if we could add “espresso” to some of the “flavors”???
When I counted quickly on my fingers I came up w/ 8, then thought, blog said 7? Oh No!! Maybe it was trick question to get us thinking and searching. Anyway, I missed faithfulness too Needles.
Gary taught Sunday that we should read them outloud and let them fall like rain on us…that they are words of life.
I believe and receive that. Those rain drops will soon fill a fountain and that fountain of joy will come bubbling up. I love water and I love water fountains…especially in the summer. And I love the fruit of joy…it is refreshing raindrops falling on your head….”everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 51:11
The scriptures say, ” out of your inner most being will flow rivers of living water” that’s the water of the washing of the Word by the Holy Spirit Who is bubbling up in and out of us. The song goes, “If you’re thirsty and dry, look up to the sky, It’s beginning to rain.” But those who seek and inquire of the Holy Spirit will not only look up to the sky to see the rain (mercy drops round us are falling) but they will be fountains of living water, also. Jesus said, ‘come to the waters, stand by My side. I know you are thristy, you won’t be denied.” And we, if we develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit within, will be able to give drinks of water and bowls of the fruit of righteousness to others. Jesus said the works He did, we will do even more because He goes to the Father and send the Holy Spirit to enable us, His saints & disciples.
I would say that vanilla ice cream would taste DIVINE with the fruit of the Spirit as topping.
The fruit of peace will nourish a future for you.
“Psalm 37:37 – Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.”
The fruit of kindness will flavor you with favor and a good reputation.
Proverbs 3:3-4 “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your-neck, write them on the tablet of your-heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of Elohim and man.”
I am very grateful that my husband and children have patience, love, and much joy for me on a daily basis. Sometimes we learn just how important the fruit of the spirit is in our lives and how to apply it to life’s circumstances when others demonstrate it to you.
The appropriate fruit of the Spirit manifests at the appropriate moment. Where calm assurance is needed there will be peace. Where frustration is trying to overtake a situation, there will be patience. Where sympathy and compassion and understanding are needed there will be kindness. Do unto others is more easily facilitated when the Holy Spirit is frowing and working the fruit in our lives. Where selfishness rears its ugly head, a magnanimous, kindly gesture pours coals of fire on certain heads who are preoccupied with their own stuff.
May the Lord bless His people with peace, joy, love, patience, goodness Kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The Summer fruit of the Spirit taste especially lovely when hearts are hurting and critical situations arise. That especial fruit is the “stick-to-you-ribs” fruit that Sara mentioned…Goodness and MERCY! OH!And Peace! Oh that Peace that passes all understanding. Isaiah 26:3…”Thou will keep him/her in perfect peace, peace, peace whose mind is stayed, concentrated, focused on the Lord God.” When all the negative reports and thoughts assail the mind, that fruit of Peace that Jesus has given us through the Holy Spirit will assuage our minds and hearts and comfort and console them. Thank You, God, for that PEACE of Fruit.
I appreciate what Sara shared above. Demonstration is one of the teaching methods that I learn from best and sure many others do likewise.
People watch how we live. When the fruits are in action we see how others are really living. Seeing others fruit in action can stimulate and exhort us to want this fruit produced in our own lives as well and make us realize that it’s the fruit that counts in our life.
There is a song on a CD that I have by Point of Grace called ‘How You Live’. I find these words very meaningful:
‘It’s not who you knew
It’s not what you did
It’s how you lived.’
When I picture all the fruits of the spirit combined together, I think about Jesus and His walk on the Earth. In every situation He faced, he had a big scoop of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Self-control and Faithfulness. He brought these fruits to life in His everyday life. Everyone around Him were affected by the fruits of the spirit. The Joy He shared by teaching his followers about God’s unconditional love. The Peace Jesus provided, when He calmed the winds and the storms that surrounded the boat filled with the disciples. The Patience He had when He didn’t go to Mary and Martha as soon as they called Him to come heal Lazerus. The Kindness He showed when He fed the 5000. The Goodness He showed when He healed the sick. The Gentleness He had when the little children came to Him. The Self-control that He showed when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. The Faithfulness that Not His will be done, but His Father’s will be done. The Love that was show when He died on the cross to save the world for their sins. Fruits of the Spirit in action! WOW! What a perfect role model God sent to show us how these Fruits of the Spirit work. Awesome! Sara, thanks for sharing your ice cream with us. Always remember: W.W.J.D.
Galatians 5:22, 23.”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Nine not seven. I was wrong. Seem more interesting in ice cream then the fruit….Just think what I am missing by not walking around with my fruity friends?
I have no excuse. I read them, quote them, teach them and listen to them being taught and I am still saying 7. I have short changed myself…..O gee, I forgot to say I even sing them, all nine of them….
Chickenfarmer, you did it! You gave us a perfect example of life in the spirit. You shouted what life would be like for those around us if we are led by the Holy Spirit.
I would like to hear your take on the words of the opposite when not led by the Holy Spirit… Galatians 5:16-21 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17) For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20) idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21) and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
CF that’s the whole Gospel! Just what Jesus modeled for us was the Fruit of the Spirit being manifested in His life. If Jesus could do it because of the Holy Spirit in His humanity then that means we can do it, too.
For the opposite, the sins of the flesh and material world…we could say, WHAT WOULD JESUS NOT DO?
Sara, if you would like to hear my take on the words of the opposite not led by the Holy Spirit…….. Then just turn on your TV. The news, movies, soaps, cartoons, ect……. Just look around… Your community, neighborohood, town, city, suburbs, country, … THE WORLD. Is opposite of the HOLY SPIRIT. When you read Gal. 5:16-21 you are reading the worldly news… It’s everywhere!!!
CF..you got that right. Talk about the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It’s everywhere and even some Christians are inured to it as we read every day in the press. What are we to do about it?
CF, I love how you proved from scripture, that Jesus truly possessed the fruits of the spirit. Certainly, some food for thought for us…as we live our daily lives.
Sara, don’t be too hard on yourself; after all, isn’t the number 7 God’s perfect number???????????
“When all the negative reports and thoughts assail the mind, that fruit of Peace that Jesus has given us through the Holy Spirit will assuage our minds and hearts and comfort and console them.”
Thank you, MG.
Yes, Needles. I am finding that out firsthand as I (we) pray and intercede for my beloved brother who is fighting for his life in an ICU, far away from us, (an ICU with which you all are so familiar). My mind wanted to rush, but God said ‘hush’. Sara spoke to me by the Holy Spirit and confirmed to me that I was to wait upon the Lord and the peace that passes all understanding, especially in a crisis like this, would mount garrison over my heart and keep me at peace. I set my face and determined to obey and wait. Then the testings began. Emotional pleadings of well-meaning and saddened family members came forth. Should I leave my post to go to a loved one, which my flesh wanted to do or should I believe the Spirit of the living God and obey Him? More pleadings, unhappy reports came forth. I wanted to waver, to make sure I was doing what God had told me to do. But, again, came the godly counsel through Sara and that glorious peace that is hard for mortals to understand fell upon me again. Peace and rest in the Holy Ghost. What refreshing in a time of emotional testing!! Now, the reports have been a little better and I am grateful for that peace, goodness, kindness. and gentleness that is a manifestation of the Spirit of God that dwells within us. So I wait and believe and am at peace without recrimination and I set my face like a flint to remain at the post and charge that God has given me and if HE tells me to do something different then I pray for the self-control to hear and obey.
In the meantime I wait and believe for a miracle for my loving brother, a giant laborer in the field for the Lord.
MG we stand with you in prayer for you and your brother. May the Lord Jesus hold you in the palm of His hand and may the refreshing, gentle winds of healing flow over your brother and continue to uphold you. May the Lord speak to your brother as he lays in ICU and bring strength and words that He God knows that your brother has need of hearing. Words that will fill the very marrow of his soul and bring strength. Amen
We read and study the ‘fruit of the spirit’ and have faith to believe that God has placed it within us. Faith rises up and becomes a reality in our emotions, minds and hearts when we need it. Yes, MG, God has been faithful to you to give you His peace which surpasses all understanding. Philippians 4:7 “…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I know it is a very difficulty time for your brother, Eugene, and family. It’s at times like this that we have to give right of way for faith, peace and patience to work in each life individually. I am so glad that Eugene is in a faith believing church and has his pastor and church family visiting him and praying for him. He has been faithful in his work while using the gifts God has given him to feed and cloth the poor through his church which preaches and teaches them to receive healing and salvation. We cry out to God on Eugene’s behalf and remind God of Gene’s faithfulness and ask for healing in his body. We pray that Gene will walk in his healing and will complete his journey on earth to please his most trusted friend and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
MG, our prayers are ongoing for your brother as we stand in faith with you and his church for healing.
MG I agree in prayer also with the prayers above. May God continue to help you stand in faith firmly on the solid Rock, Jesus. May God’s hand of grace, mercy, love and healing touch and restore Eugene.
MG, I have been thinking about your comment. These scriptures came too me. John 11: 1-15 ” 1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany, where Mary and her sister Martha lived. Mary was the woman who later put perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Mary’s brother was Lazarus, the man who was sick. So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus ” Lord, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. But when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. “Then Jesus said to his followers, Let’s go back to Judea. The followers said “But Teacher, some people there tried to stone you to death only a short time ago. Now you want to go back there? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble, because he can see by this world’s light. But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because there is no light to help him see.” After Jesus said this, he added “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him.” The followers said, “But Lord, if he is only asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead, but his followers thought he was sleeping. So then Jesus said plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes I was not there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him now.”. Matthew 26 :42 …. “My Father if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it , I pray that what you want will be done. ….. So MG, I ask you W.W.J.D……
Well, Wendy, Jesus was the embodiment of the Fruit of the Spirit and even in such grave crisis as His pending crucifixion and death He, the obedient Servant of God practiced FAITHFULNESS to His mission and His post. Faithfulness, one of the manifestataions of the Fruit is the action that Faith produces. If I, (MG) have faith in the living God then I will remain faithful to Him in my actions and attitudes, especially in a crisis situation; faithful and obedient.
We have pled the Blood of Jesus over my brother Gene, and faithfully prayed for him to recover from this sickness; to live and not die; to recover and fulfill his destiny which is his mission and ministry to the poor, homeless and outcasts of society through the auspices of his church and also in the Community Caring Center of his city an organization which ministers to the hungry & destitute through charitable contributions from the city-wide churches and other contributors.
Many the times I rode with Gene in his own vehicle looking for some poor soul that was in dire straits where Gene would be taking food to him or giving some money of his own to help.
Gene is also the president and in support of innovative plans & creative ideas of the CCC put forth by his co-worker, Sherry Johnson, in raising funds to feed the homeless and poor and teach them how to cook nutritional meals, set up poor entrepreneurs in a small business setting where they can be given a break and learn to make a living with dignity;
He is in charge of the Soup Kitchen at Grace Community Church, his church and they feed sometimes up to fifty of the homeless every week, ministering to hundreds every month, with the Gospel preached at each session mainly by his pastor Pastor Norris.
This work is huge in the Kingdom of God and only the compassionate man who has that gift of mercy and patience and gentleness and kindness and goodness can make it in a rough “streets” world.
He has a mission to fulfill and a destiny that is close to the Lord’s heart. He who ministers to the poor ministers to GOD.
So FIGHT, GENE FIGHT! You’ve got a lot of living to do for the Lord.
Lord, glorify Your Name in the miracle of Gene’s recovery.
And I want to be faithful to my Lord, and listen to what the Holy Spirit says and that’s WWJD….and DID! I want to be like my Lord. So does Gene!
With God on our side, Gene will make it and make it big!!!
Thank you .all you lovely lilies, for your intercessory prayers on my brother’s behalf and for me, too. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love and compassion you have all shown in this crisis in our family’s life. The family of GOD is awesome and your rallying around us and your encouragement has broken that grief band that tries to take over one’s mind when awful things happen in one’s life.
But you, my dear lilies are faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, my brother’s FRIEND, as Sara says, and together the Body of Christ will be victorious and Gene will have a testimony to give glory to God THROUGH IT ALL.
Thank you again and again. for your love and compassion.
AMEN AND AMEN MG!!!!! I praise the Lord for your brother and his beautiful life. He is truly a precious child of God. What a precious jewel, using the fruits of the Spiriit every chance he has. MG, I praise the Lord for you as well. Your self-control. Your faithfulness in a tough situation. Your obedience to the Lord. What a precious jewel you are. You have been strong with the Lord. I stand in prayer to our Father for you and your brother. May the Lord bless you and strengthen you daily.
Thank you for your kindness, CF. If I am the ‘jewel” as you have remarked above, then you, my sisters and brothers in Christ are the SETTING in which I (we) are placed to enhance and support and uphold the integrity of that jewel.
Again, many thanks for that support. They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength…. mounting up as strong and bold as the eagle in his full wing-span. Soaring, soaring to new heights for God’s Kingdom.
So we we pray and we praise and we worship….and we “WAIT”.
Praise God we received an encouraging report concerning my brother. The FAITHFULNESS of God to answer prayers is stunning.
In James, it says, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ; and the prayer of FAITH shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he has any sins within they shall be forgiven”.
God’s faithfulness to us is astonishing considering the initial report on my dear brother. This is truly encouraging and the exciting part is that as we pray for him, and others who are afflicted with an ailment, God will hear and raise them up and FORGIVE THEIR SINS!. What a mighty God we serve!!! Wow! Praise and worship the Lord for His GOODNESS, Kindness towards His people.
Thank you for continued prayer until God raises him up, stands him on his feet and directs him into continuing the ministry that God has given him.
Growing fruits in our gardens seem to show parallels to growing fruit in our lives. Summer fruits like squash, cucumbers, tomatoes develop best when there are hot temperatures. Heat can be uncomfortable and wearing on our bodies, taxing our strength and energy. Bugs and weeds seem to like the heat also, so having to deal with the distractions and competitions from annoying pests, tries our patience and tests our faithfulness to keep on working to see the fruit of our labors.
Other fruits, like apples and pears have to go through chilling winter temperatures in order to bear. And tree and bramble fruits like raspberries and grapes have to get a good pruning back yearly or lots of floweres but no fruit.
All helps to remind us that in due season we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up. (Gal 6:9)
I get it, Debi. You’re saying when the season of “heat” of affliction is here, then you say the fruit of patience and faithfulness are “in season” And along with that, patience and faithfulness should be growing in acts of kindness and “controlling one’s self” from emotional flubs and displays that delay and frustrate healing.
In the ‘cool off” seasons, maybe a season where there is less stress or confusion in our lives, staples like “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” are mainstays of the fruit of the Spirit…that sustain us and builds up our immunity to any onslaughts that are planned by the enemy of GOD’s Fields.
Faith, being part of the fruit of the spirit pleases God. We give life to our faith when we put action behind it. Do something to activate your faith and it will work. Faith without works or works without faith will not please God. Really the book of James says, “Faith without works in dead.”
Paul says in Romans 14:23 (and this is scary)…”whatever is NOT of faith is SIN . So if we are robot Christians just going thru the motions and what we do is really not motivated by Faith, then we are in sin!! Wow! SELAH!