Fruit concerning OURSELVES

Sunday we will be looking at the "fruit of the Spirit" here at the Gaylord E-Free Church.  Over the last two postings I have briefly defined two categories of fruit that I called the fruit that deals with the OMNIPOTENT (love, joy and peace) and the fruit that deals with OTHERS (patience, kindness and goodness).  Today I would like to finish the definition of the fruit of the Spirit looking at the third category, the fruit that deals with OURSELVES (faithfulness, gentleness and self-control):

FAITHFULNESS

This fruit speaks of our remaining loyal to the Lord with a confident assurance that causes us to act on the Word of God.  Paul told Timothy that the number one quality of a steward is to be found "faithful" or "trustworthy."  The last time that I saw my Grandpa Distler before he died, his final words to me were "Don't ever give up on the Lord."  He was speaking of faithfulness which is a natural by-product of a life that is lived walking by the Spirit.

GENTLENESS

This word is often translated "meekness."  It speaks of "power under control."  There really is no exact English equivalent.  It combines strength and gentleness together.  It can be seen in our being teachable to the Word of God and in how we show consideration to others.  Like all the other fruit, it is a natural by-product of a life lived walking by the Spirit.

SELF-CONTROL

This speaks of self-restraint.  This is the ability to show restraint when it comes to the desires of the flesh.  Paul used this word in describing the athlete who competes for the prize.  This athlete shows self-control to avoid anything that could hinder them from winning the competition.  When we walk by the Spirit we will show self-control toward anything and everything that could hinder us from reaching our redemptive potential as a follower of Jesus Christ.