But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

Galatians 5:22

            It has been a week since I finally updated my blog. I am having a hard time with this one. I have other things in mind that can be much easier to write down, but I still wanted this one. I just thought that it would be nice if I discuss these 9 fruits on my 9^th post. Actually, I’ve already started writing this thing down days ago, but I ran out of words to elaborate this topic. Well it is because I don’t really possess all these fruits, so I can’t easily relate. However, I believe having a piece or two of these amazing gifts is really awesome. As what the verse said, these fruits came directly from the Holy Spirit, not from us. So imagine living each day of your life being blessed by God by imparting His qualities right up into your soul and personality. Praise God for this one. Since I don’t exactly have all these qualities, I decided to name few people that I remember possessing each of these 9 fruits. This is going to be exciting. For one, probably most of the people that I’ll be mentioning are not aware of their God-given qualities, but it is sometimes better that way. For these gifts are not given to be boasted; rather, to be nurtured and to be shared as well.

Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 

            I wish all of us can remember this verse, for this has been the reason why we are saved. Before Christ was born, people kill animals and put them as sacrifices to the Lord whenever they commit sins. But this trend has already been washed away since the day that Jesus sacrificed Himself and saved us from all our sins. Can you imagine yourself today burning and sacrificing animals or whatever in repentance for your sins? That’s why we are so blessed. All of the sins of our forefathers going back to the sins of Adam and Eve have all been forgiven by Jesus’ Death. God so loved us that He sacrificed His only Son for the Greater Good.

            Love is defined as: Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the well being of another. The only person that I can think of having these qualities is my mom. She is my real-life Wonderwoman. Unselfish – for all she ever wanted was to see us happy, nothing more, nothing less; loyal – for she has always been faithful to us; benevolent – for she has always been concerned not only to us, but also to other people. I admire my Mama and Papa for being so generous and concerned with their employees. I can still remember there came a time that the food and shelter of their employees have been somewhat like for free because they made it so cheap. I said, “Ma, hindi naman pwede palaging ganun.” Then she replied, “Hayaan mo na.” They never thought of doing things for their own good. Love is truly one awesome gift.

Joy

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. – Psalm 13:5

It is far better to seek "joy." Joy is related to happiness, but it is a deeper experience. In the search for happiness the individual focuses upon himself, but joy moves a person out of a self-centered preoccupation and provides an orientation towards others. Joy is an experience which connects us to that which is "Greater" than we are. It connects us to the creative power that is more than the "I" or ego. Joy gets us out of ourselves and in contact with this "Other" and with others. Joy can sustain us throughout the four phases of life. If we are willing to give up the search for happiness, we may find joy. It exists near the center of the wheel where happiness and suffering meet and intermingle (http://www.lessons4living.com/joy.htm)

All I thought joy has the same meaning with happiness. But it is not. Now I got this understanding that if you are happy seeing other people happy, that was joy flowing into you, not happiness. This is what God wants us to have – a better, deeper feeling than happiness. It is one great gift to have Joy overflowing into your soul in an early stage of your life. Only few people I know have this unselfish quality. But the first person that came into my mind was Ma’am Neneth Canizares. She was my professor in Leadership, Management and Research back in College. I really admire her, for she is highly respected in the institution. Some may fear or hate her for her snobbish look and strict persona; but if they would only have the chance to know her better, they will see how caring and loving she is to her students. I can still remember before beginning every meeting, each one of us was tasked to read and reflect to the Word of Day. She wanted us to learn from each other’s experiences. I was always excited when it was already my turn to read and reflect, for I always wanted to share my experiences with my classmates. She always checked and asked about our performances on our Nursing Audit. She encouraged us when we were down. She listened to our troubles and problems. She always puts an effort with her works.  She was not our adviser, but she acted more of like a mother to us. She was always happy with us; even though she was not so vocal, we felt her love and care through her actions. She is really one of a kind. Most teachers are like that. They are proud to see their students excel and become successful in their respective lives. They have this joy of knowing that they became part of their students’ lives.

Peace

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. - Colossians 3:15

            Blessed are the Peacemakers. Jesus said, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.”  There is a huge difference between people who work for peace and those who are in peace. That is why peacemaking is a difficult task for not only you seek for peace, but you actively seek to resolve conflict as well. Most of us, to attain peace, avoid conflicts. That is not what God wants us to do, for that is cowardice. He wants us to extend our hands to everybody, resolve conflicts and restore any broken relationships. Always remember that Love is God’s Good News. He wants us to relate and love one another. Honestly, I couldn’t think of any person having this mentality. Even I am guilty of not having this gift. Many that I know of can be considered as persons who love peace, but working for peace, as what I’ve said earlier, is really far beyond just seeking for peace. I am happy that I don’t have any problems with anybody right now. However, there are still few people that I have broken relationships with, and I want it to be restored… maybe not today, but I am hoping that it won’t take forever for us to rebuild and renew what have been lost. I want to be a peacemaker; though it is not that easy, I know I can because God is with me.

            Sadly, I think I have to cut the long story from here and continue the rest of the 9 fruits to my next posts. At least, I can finally publish this one. LOL. I hope you and I will discover all these 9 fruits eventually. Always remember that these gifts have been given to us by the Holy Spirit. We should treasure them and use them to touch other lives as well. They are very powerful weapons to fight evil and live a life in a Christ-like manner. Alrighty then, I got to go. Waaa. I’m going to be late again on my worship service! Till next time! Have a blessed Sunday! God is with you.

Testimony: If it weren't for Him, I couldn’t easily forgive those who have sinned against me.

Life Lesson: Cherish every God-given gift that you have.

Godly Passion: Love your neighbor.

Good News: Live a Christ-like life.