Many people – Christian and pre-Christian – have a wrong view of God. They see Him in a number of ways, none of which properly reflect the majesty of His true nature. If we are being made in His image (and we are! Genesis 1:26), then what we think about God becomes the most important thought we have!
But in a world that clamors to define God in its image, how do we know what He is really, really like?
And one of the most beautiful starting points for that discovery is the Fruit of the Spirit.
God does not just have love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control. He is every one of those things!
And on top of that, He will always be each of these in absolute fullness, unchanging no matter what is occurring. That’s what He is really, really like.
God is love itself – a love that goes first so that our response of love for Him is an overflow of how amazingly He has loved us.
Patience is not difficult for God, because it’s natural to Him. He lives in calm expectation, confident of who He is in us… so waiting isn’t difficult or onerous.
God shares His true nature of self-control that gives us breathing space to see who He is for us now.
And that’s why He put you into Christ, so that His true nature could become your experience too.
Beloved, at some point, we have got to stop taking our cues for life from the world around us because the world around us has nothing to teach us about who God really is and living properly with Him.
The enemy seeks to make you into his image: unloving, unhappy, worried, impatient… everything that is the opposite of God.
God seeks to make you into His image by living in you and giving you Himself. He wants to be the one who defines His true nature to you in His Word and in your life experiences in Christ so that His nature becomes yours.
He gave us the Fruit of the Spirit so He could show us Himself.
If your experience of God has been less than that – immerse yourself in the Fruit of the Spirit.
Don’t see them as something you need to be more of, but instead, see them as God’s promise of who He will always be in you, to you and for you.
PS) If you are looking to experience more of the nature of God, consider getting a copy of Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit on MP3 or CD. In this teaching, you will learn how you can grow in the Fruits of the Spirit and be made in the image of God. Click here to order your copy now!