By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
THURSDAY – May 22, 2025
THEME: PROMISE #89 – FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: A MUST
SCRIPTURE: Galatians 5:22-23
“[22]But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23]gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.”
REFLECTIONS
God’s standard of right is universal. To fit into heaven, we must bear the fruit of the Spirit, which He graciously provides us with. The Christian life is often described as fruit-bearing. Jesus stated in John 15:8,16, “[8]By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. [16]You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” It is essential for every believer to bear fruit.
Promise #89 challenges all Christians preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ to embrace the fruit of the Spirit. The nature of the fruit of the Spirit is described in Galatians 5:22-23, “[22]But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23]gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.” This is both a command and a promise. The fruit of the Spirit encompasses several spiritual values but functions as a unit – every Christian filled with the Spirit must possess these characteristics, aptly called the fruit of the Spirit. A Christian earns the title of disciple of Jesus Christ only by bearing the fruit of God’s glory.
The beauty of Christianity is that whatever God requires, He provides. Therefore, for anyone to bear fruit, He has given the means by which this expectation will be fulfilled. With the help of the Spirit, we can achieve this to the glory of God. While we abide in Christ, the vine that nourishes the branches, we receive the assistance of the Holy Spirit to remain true to our convictions and commitments. The Holy Spirit imparts the fruit of the Spirit; we are reminded in verse 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:8-10 encourages us to be vigilant, stating, “[8]For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light [9](for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), [10]finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” In The Desire of Ages, page 311, the author writes: “God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. … He [Christ] came to destroy the works of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning. It is… excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God. The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness.” May the Lord dwell and walk in you (2 Corinthians 6:16).
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 191 – “Love Divine”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for the opportunity to bear the fruit of the Spirit; pray for daily grace to continue producing fruit that affirms your faith in Jesus Christ.
– Pray for your family, church members, and all believers to strive to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which will reveal to the world the power of the Lord Jesus.
– Pray for the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of armed robbers, wicked individuals, those who commit atrocities, people engaged in corruption, and the wealthy who oppress the poor.
– Pray for spiritual revival among Christians, comfort for the grieving, divine healing for the sick, and the spread of the gospel to all unreached people.
–
