Wednesday's In The Word

Need a little encouragement in the middle of your week? Start your Wednesday's off right! Renew your spirit and refresh your soul.

How do we know if a person is genuinely following Jesus? We know by their actions or the fruit they bear. When we are believers in Jesus, we are gifted with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit among many names is our advocate or our guide. The Spirit helps us walk and live in these good qualities listed in verse twenty-two. Who doesn't want to be filled with love and joy or peace and patience. I know I need some gentleness when comforting my children and some self-control to not say something I just might regret. No one can deny these are good qualities to have.

When we are following the guidance or the little nudges inside from the Holy Spirit, we are much more likely to live in these qualities. Sometimes it is not easy to deny what we are really feeling inside and instead move forward with kindness and goodness when all we want to do is say a few choice words to the person who just stole the parking spot you were about to pull into.

Now imagine not having the Holy Spirit to guide you into goodness. How would we act then? It doesn't take much imagination to figure this out, we are living it all around us. So the next time you are questioning a person's true character, hold them up to the "fruit" standards. Do they live what they claim? Just remember this is not for judgement purposes because that is not our job. Rather seek to know true character to not be tempted by the people around us and pulled into sin.