You are called to lead...
In the last lesson I asked you to list the Fruit of the Spirit.
If you will allow me to go in reverse for just a moment, I would like to explain something before we get to that part of the leadership lesson.
Jesus said apart from me you can bear no fruit. John 15:5 tells us: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” However, in this passage He also says if we abide in him we will bear much fruit.
Here is the problem with many who try to lead. (Now remember we are not just talking about church leaders). We often try to manufacture our own fruit. I have often dealt with people who were trying so hard to be spiritual that they were actually going in the opposite direction.
If you look at the beginning chapters of these lessons, we talked about self-control, and self-discipline. There was not one response that didn't emphasize the fact that we all need more self-control and self-discipline.
Now we can walk around talking about how great we are doing, but that doesn't mean we are doing great. Just because someone says to themselves "I'm tall and skinny" doesn't make them tall and skinny (I've tried that one).
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the Fruit of the Spirit is a nine-fold expression of one "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, these are the fruits that all Christians should be producing in their new lives with Jesus Christ.
Again I want to emphasize these are produced not manufactured.
If we are going to be the leaders in our homes, our jobs, the church or any place else, we will be producers of fruit and not manufacturers.
Let's look at these individually and see how we are producing:
Love - "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Joy - "..the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
Peace - "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Longsuffering (patience) -- We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Gentleness (kindness) -- We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).
Goodness - "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).
Faith (faithfulness) - "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Meekness - "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Temperance (self-control) - "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
I recently had someone say to me that they were having issues with someone that just seemed to bring out the worst in them. I asked "Why do you continue to hang around them?" “Well,” she said “I keep hoping that she will change.” Bad idea! If you are going to go and grow you will have to make some tough decisions. I promise you, there are people that would like to keep you from producing and either they will continue to prune you to a place where you will not be able to produce or you will cut off the branches in your life that cause you to not produce.
There is much to be said for living a life of fullness. The way to obtain a life of fullness is often times difficult, but once obtained you will begin to produce these fruits and it will not be something that "takes all the strength within you to do". When God is in control of EVERY PART of our lives, it is His fruit that we are producing not ours, and most of it will come naturally.
I'm often asked why I'm so laid back about things and how I can do some of the things I do.
Let me share with you the secret of my success: I walk by what I know, not what I feel.
I work when I don't feel like working because I know that God is able and willing to perform the work He started in me. I praise God even when I don't feel like it because I know that the garment of praise will take off the spirit of heaviness. I could go on and may do so in other chapters, but for now I want you to grasp these principals.