But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23)I have seen a couple of actors in movies over the past few decades that really made me sad. They were not the same ones, because they are usually old. They are the old person with a stupid mouth.
They may say something profane, or brash, or just dumb. But I wonder when I hear them, where is the beauty or presence that is supposed to come with age? They sure don’t have it.
And why would a person want to advertise to the world that they have lived a long time and never gained any wisdom or good-nature?
When a person gets older, you expect them to have wisdom, to have grace. When an older person doesn’t, it is always a little surprising.
My son made the point the other day of telling me that we were older people now. I thanked him, then wrote him out of my will.
But I was thinking about it. That is true. I am of the age that I used to consider older. So how do I look to others? Do I look like I have some kind of godliness or grace, can you see the fruits of living for God for the 51 years I have been a Christian? The 37 years I have been a minister of the gospel? Are they there?
Or do I just look like an old idiot?
Now my wife has that grace. She has lived her life in a attitude of love and it shows.
Everyone has fruit that they have gotten from their lives. Just as a tree produces fruit, so does a person. If you are in Christ, your fruit is good and long lasting. If not, it is not.
In Jesus, with the filling of his Spirit and through his power we produce good things. Those good things are the fruits of our lives.
When we live in the Spirit, those fruits are good: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. A person who has lived his or her life is going to show something for it. It may be bitterness over lost opportunities, or anger over past offenses.
It will be whatever you think about through your life. If you are in Jesus, it will be good spiritual things.
How do people see you? That stupid old person who makes a fool out of themselves in movies? Or a beautiful older person full of the grace of God. It is your choice.
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