Be Fruit-Full through the Spirit

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives". - Proverbs 11:30 NIV

Do you want your life to make a difference? Do you realize that your life can be a source of blessing to other people every day?

‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life’. If we look at Proverbs 11, we can see all the fruit of the Spirit that the apostle Paul describes in Galatians 5:22:

Love (Proverbs 11:23)

Joy (v.10)

Peace (v.8)

Patience (v.16)

Kindness (v.17)

Goodness (v.17)

Faithfulness (v.6)

Gentleness (v.2b)

Self-control (v.12)

The image of a ‘tree of life’ (Proverbs 11:30) is a beautiful depiction of God’s favor. It recurs again and again in Scripture. It is also closely linked to the work of the Spirit in your life (Ezekiel 47:1–12; Revelation 22:1–2). It is the Spirit who enables and helps you to live the kind of righteous life that is described and to enjoy ‘favor from the Lord’ (Proverbs 12:2).

But...what if the Fruit of the Spirit did not reach the Fullness within or in us???

You know what it is like to be physically thirsty. Your mouth goes dry, your throat is parched, your strength fades and you crave water. How satisfying it is to drink when you are thirsty.

To be spiritually thirsty is to be dried up inside, to feel totally empty and in anguish. In this golden passage, Yeshua describes how your spiritual thirst can be quenched (the hole in your soul filled) and the effect that this can have on your life.

Yeshua anticipates what will happen on the day of Pentecost. He speaks about the transformation by the streams of living water that the Holy Spirit brings to your life: By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Yeshua had not yet been glorified’.

It was ‘the last and greatest day of the Feast’ (v.37). This was the day when the people anticipated that the great river prophesied in Ezekiel 47 would flow out from Jerusalem. But it is a life-changing promise that you can still experience today.

May we become like Yeshua. Through your love, your words, your presence, you will transmit the Spirit you have received from Yeshua. You will quench the thirst of the poor, the lonely, the needy, those in pain and anguish and will give them life, love and peace of heart.

Oh Adonai! Fill us again with Your Spirit, with streams of living water to bring life to everyone we encounter. Amen.