"Ok, Lord, You got me! Now I get the picture!"

Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

How does one develop the fruit of the Spirit? Have you ever wondered that? If you take a close look at this list, you will find that not one of these fruits of the Spirit can be developed outside of difficulties and trials. For example, as I was sitting here trying to get my Power Bible program to show me the Greek for goodness, I was frustrated to discover that for some reason this feature is not working as it is supposed too. The more I tried to figure out the problem, the more upset and frustrated I got over it. I was getting crabby and starting to hammer the computer keys as if to teach the computer a lesson. Patience, self-control..."Ok, Lord, You got me! Now I get the picture!"

Next time you find yourself in a frustrating or difficult circumstance, take a step back and ask the Lord what fruit of the Spirit He is wanting to develop in your life through it.

Dear Father, Thank You for a practical lesson in how the fruit of the Spirit is grown in our lives. Amen.