What Fruit?

     Many people like to follow the trends of certain people.  I was riding up the elevator not so long ago and my wife was trying to put the back of my collar down on my coat and I said, "Hey, I want to look like the Fonz."  Some other people in the elevator chuckled as they knew what I was talking about.  In my high school years, which were a long, long time ago, it was popular to follow the way the Fonz looked with his collar up in the back of his shirt or jacket.  Many people would do the same thing just to look like him.  Some people just like to look like some famous person or act in such a way that would resemble that same person.  God has given us some characteristics that we should follow which apparently are not the one many people follow, but are perhaps, just the opposite.  Galatians 5:16-17 says, " But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."   
      Years ago, I was studying in the Book of Romans and came across this same idea in the eighth chapter.  Paul made a long list of differences between the flesh and the spirit.  Both words are mentioned throughout the chapter and I began to mark them just to notice the contrast that was given.  Here, in Galatians 5, we see the same contrast which is going to lead to the listing of both sets of characteristics in the following verses.  The list will include the works of the flesh verses the fruit of the Spirit.  The point here is that we should be walking in a certain way and not in the opposite way.  The way of our walk should be in regard to walking by the Spirit.  It is interesting to note that if we walk by the Spirit then we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  The one listing will prevent the other listing from being a part of our lives.  The Fruit of the Spirit which is listed a few verses later, has nine different parts to it.  The verses in Galatians remind us the the word "fruit" is singular and not a plural word.  There are not nine different fruits, but one fruit, which is the fruit of the Spirit.  A lot has been written on this list of qualities that should mark the life of the believer.  You will find that you are not perfect in probably any one of the parts of this singular fruit and that your life should be marked by spiritual growth in these areas.  When we begin thinking about the fruit and notice the very first aspect of it, we come right up to "love."  Who of us loves in the way that we should as described by the agape love that is mentioned here.  We probably find that we are not as "loving" as even ourselves desire to be, but are lacking.  When you compound the issues with the fact that there are nine different characteristics mentioned, we sometimes get frustrated over the listing, perhaps even to the point of doubting our own salvation.  The Fruit of the Spirit, however, is a growing process that is taking place in each and every one of us.  As one man once said, "Please be patient with me, God is not finished with me yet."  With our being patient with others, -perhaps they will be patient with us.  Praise God that is still working in each and every one of us.