A father decided to spend some extra time teaching his son about Christian behavior and lifestyle. While the little boy knew the Bible stories and Old Testament characters, the father felt his son was lacking some real understanding of how Christians should live. So one evening at bed time, he decided to talk with his son about the fruit of the Spirit.
Turning to Galatians 5, he told the boy that this is what a Christian should be like: “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! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)
The father took a few minutes to talk about these behaviors and how a Christian should act around other people. When the lesson was over, the father got a stab he would never forget. The little boy asked, “Dad, have I ever met one of these Christians?”
Ouch! This story isn’t from my life, but I wonder at times if it could be. Do the people around me – the people closest to me – see me living out this awesome Christian faith? Or do they see me as short-tempered, rude, demanding and a joy-killer?
The challenge to live out our daily faith is a big one, and we won’t get it right every day….but we can start with a prayer that the Lord would be our helper and that we would bear the fruit of the Spirit. It is amazing what can happen when we invite the Spirit to do his work.