Gal 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” [NIV]
Commuting a 60-mile round trip for the next four months is going to provide me many opportunities to produce some fruit in my life. I’m finding my patience and kindness wears thin on the morning commute, and my gentleness and self-control is definitely vexed on the return trip in the early evening. I just want all those bad drivers to shape up and everyone else to get out of my way! I’m tired and I want to get home and put on my PJ’s.
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for me), that doesn’t happen. Instead God is using this opportunity to prove to me how much I need to grow more love, joy, peace, patient, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Jesus warned His followers about false prophets, wolves who wear sheep clothing and appear to be something they are not. He said we would recognize them by their fruit. [Matthew 7:16]
Too often we are more enthralled by gifts than we are fruit. We tend to follow gifted people, who are not necessarily people of character. Gifts are shiny and noticeable; character is stable and sometimes only visible under pressure. Yet, it is precisely because character is visible under pressure that we need to produce it in our lives.
Father, I know the next months of this commute will not be easy. When I’m tired and just want the day to be over, help me to turn to Your Spirit for life … I pray these opportunities will not be wasted and I will indeed grow in the character of Christ. Amen
