‘Tis the season—the time of year that overloads your schedule, tries your patience, and depletes your bank account…
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
As born-again believers, we have the fruit of the Spirit inside us. When we were born again, our spirits became just like Jesus. We can operate in all the fruit of the Spirit any time we choose to—but it is a choice.
“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” —Galatians 5:22-24
This Christmas season as well as every day of the year, we can draw on that fruit in any and every situation. Here are some scriptures to meditate on that will help you operate in that fruit:
1. Love – John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
2. Joy – 1 Peter 1:8 tells us, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”
3. Peace – “…My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” —John 14:27
4. Patience – “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” —James 1:2-4
5. Kindness – “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” —Colossians 3:12-13
6. Goodness – “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” —Romans 15:14
7. Faithfulness – “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” —Psalm 89:1
8. Gentleness – “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.” —Ephesians 4:1-2
9. Self-control – “… add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —1 Peter 1:5-8
