“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Holy Spirit is the person of God within the life of the believer. The fruit (character and and attributes) of His presence in our lives should be exactly what is listed in the above verses (vs. 22&23). If we claim to belong to Jesus and the fruit we bear is not consistent with our profession then something is profoundly wrong. Jesus Himself said it this way:

“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:16-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let us, as believers in Christ, examine the fruit in our lives to identify the authenticity of our professed faith. It is time for the church to act like Jesus, not just say we love Jesus! Our fruit identifies our true character.

Prayer for today: Father, in Jesus name, help me produce fruit consistent with Your character. Holy Spirit, live through me.