“Who are you becoming?” is a far-reaching question. Your answer addresses the whole of life. It goes beyond education, title, and career. Achievement and being the best you can be are valid issues for every worker, but the person you become along the way is much more important.
We Christians are fortunate. We have the perfect role model in Jesus Christ. Our goal is to become more like him.
Jesus lived in community with others, learned a skill, and worked just like us. But, what makes Jesus different is that he is the ideal human being, and there is no better person to become like than him.
Who are you becoming? Galatians 5:22-23 lists the nine qualities of the “fruit of the Spirit.” With Jesus’ help you can personify these qualities in your life just like he did in his.
Galatians 5:22-23 declares:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Note that it is the “fruit of the Spirit,” and not the fruit of you. You cannot grow God’s fruit, only he can. Your responsibility is to give God a place where his fruit can flourish and grow to maturity, and that place in inside—deep and personal.
God plants his spiritual seeds in you at salvation, and then grows his fruit. You nurture, protect, and harvest what God has placed within you. You become the person God wants you to be and God gets the glory. This is how Christianity works.
The “fruit of the Spirit” is like natural fruit; it is desirable and attractive. It takes time to grow, is highly visible, and is different from its surroundings. All of which describes you as you become more like Jesus Christ.
Who are you becoming? Make it your personal goal to manifest these nine qualities from Galatians 5:22-23:
Love: A willed action to seek what is good for others.
Joy: Optimism independent of your circumstances.
Peace: Living in harmony with God, self, and others.
Patience: Endurance with the expectation of victory.
Kindness: Integrity in dealing with the weak and others.
Goodness: Doing the right things for the right reasons.
Faithfulness: Demonstrating that you can be trusted.
Gentleness: Power under control. Managed strength.
Self-control: Disciplined in your actions. Addiction free.
Proverbs 8:19 says, “My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.”
Become more like Jesus by manifesting the nine qualities of the “fruit of the Spirit.”