Have you heard that patience is a virtue? This year our chapel theme is the Fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, long-suffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (self-control). What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “fruit of the Spirit’? It seems to me to be a rather churchy saying. “Fruit of the Spirit.” It’s not bubble gum or underwear, or even a new gender identity. The fruit of the Spirit is in fact the outworking of the God of the universe in a born again believer’s life where our heart’s focus is not my will but Thy will be done. Apples come from an apple tree; the fruit of the Spirit comes from the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul was teaching the Galatians how they should now live. Some were struggling with legalism others with licentiousness. They needed to learn to live out of their new identity in Christ. At school we will be comparing the Works of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit emphasizing that the Flesh is reactive and feelings driven and that the Fruit of the Spirit is Holy Spirit driven and proactive. As you parent your children keep elevating virtues over feelings, the Spirit over the Flesh, and ultimately the Kingdom of God over the dominion of Satan.
