But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. - Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)
Love - There are 3 types of love. There is Eros love, which is known as "erotic love". There is Philos love, which is a brotherly love or a love known between two friends. And lastly, there is the ultimate love, Agape love, which means unconditional love.
Agape love is the love that, Jesus, displayed and therefore is the love referred to in Galatians 5:22 when defining the fruit of the spirit. Love is a powerful thing because it covers a multitude of sins as 1 Peter 4:8 tells us. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
When you love unconditionally, it doesn't mean you won't be hurt, it doesn't mean that you won't be talked about but it does mean that you are displaying the fruit that, Jesus, displayed. Agape love will take you a long way in life. Make a decision to love unconditionally regardless of how people have hurt you.
Joy - There is a difference between joy and happiness.Happiness is an emotion. It's something that you feel one minute and could be gone the next, based on what's going on around you. Joy, however is a gift from God. People who are joyful may not always be happy but they choose to display the Joy that God has given them and shine their light so that the world may see.
You may be going through the worst trial known to man but if you choose to be joyful regardless of your situation, regardless of your past, then God sees that and He honors that.
Peace - Peace is another fruit that is based on a choice. When you have a bad day, you can either choose to wallow in despair, hang your head down and complain, or you can choose peace. You can make the choice when you walk out the door in the morning that no matter what happens to you today, you're going to smile and not get hot and bothered. Make no mistake, it won't be easy but it's worth it!
Long suffering - Many times God doesn't move when we want Him to move. It can be tough exercising patience while in adversity. I encourage you, my friend, to operate in patience regardless, don't get uptight. Psalm 27:14 encourages us in times of distress because it tells us: "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Remember, every trial you face is just a test. God looks at how you handle the adversity while you wait and He rewards you for enduring it with patience.
Kindness - Kindness is very much like love in the sense that it's an unselfish act. When you're walking through a door, just because the person in front of you doesn't hold the door open for you, doesn't mean that you shouldn't hold the door open for the next person.
A wise man once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." In other words, instead of judging someone when you don't agree with their actions, set an example. Kindness is an example that we need to see more of, especially in the world today.
Goodness - Goodness and kindness also go hand in hand. I encourage you to always do what you know is right. About a year ago, in 2008, ABC had a reality show entitled, True Beauty. As I watched this show, I noticed that they would put the contestants in situations where there were hidden cameras and they had the opportunity to do what was right or wrong.
There was an episode where a decoy was riding a bike on the street and he would fake a fall right in front of these candidates. The question was, would these contestants just walk away and not help the decoy or offer a helping hand?
What would you do in a situation like this?
The right thing to do would be to help this person indeed. Do what you know is right in every situation whether or not someone is watching.
Faithfulness - You may not be able to see the outcome of what God is doing in your life or where He's taking you but always know that God will never lead you astray. He's got your best interest at heart. God is the captain of our ship and we have to trust Him for He's got the course plotted. He's knows the end.
Gentleness - Have you ever been out and you got a feeling that you shouldn't have been where you were? Many people call it intuition.
When God speaks to us, He doesn't ring out loud in a thunderous voice from the Heavens, like many of the movies portray Him. You will know when God is speaking to you because you will feel a gentle nudging in your spirit to do right when your flesh wants to do wrong.
It's not our place to judge others. When someone is going down the wrong path, instead of belittling and talking down to them, encourage them to do what is right with a spirit of meekness.
Self-Control - Anger is another emotion such as happiness. There are going to be times when people or situations make you feel angry but I encourage you to make the choice to exercise self-control. Wrath is one of the works of the flesh, (as outlined in Galatians 5:19-22) which is very much the opposite of the fruit of the spirit.
Temperance is the spirit that, Jesus, carried to the grave. He was called out of His name, He was betrayed by Judas and He was spat on, bruised and chastised.
In the world today, if someone is called out of their name, that would be a fight waiting to happen but Jesus didn't operate that way. He chose to exercise Self-Control. Make the choice today, to exercise love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, as you charge forward in your life journey.