12 Oct 2016
When we think about our lives of faith, it’s good to remember
that the fruits of the Spirit don’t come all at once. Instead, as we hear in the psalm, those
fruits come “in due season.”
Saint Paul makes a sharp distinction between the “works of
the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit.”
And I suppose it can be tempting to say, “Well, I want the fruit of the
Spirit—not the works of the flesh.” And
that’s fine; and it’s good. But, like
anything that grows, the fruits come “in due season.”
We wouldn’t look at an apple tree and expect it to be full of
juicy apples just like that. Or, we don’t
look at an infant and expect him or her to just be an adult. Those things take time. And they’ll happen when they happen. The fruits—the maturity—will come “in due
season.” And it’s the same with our
lives of faith.
We may grow impatient with our “works of the flesh.” We may want the “fruits of the Spirit” to be
here—now. But our task is simply to be
faithful, to walk with Jesus, and to let those fruits of the Spirit come in due
time. And they will. Don’t get discouraged by sins and
mistakes. Just be patient and faithful,
and those fruits of the Spirit will come . . . “in due season.”
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