Let’s talk about Fruit of the Holy Spirit? Goodness – agathosune: Goodness is kindness with an edge. It is fierce kindness, able to do the right thing even if it’s hard, even if it hurts someone. “Good” in the New Testament is nearly always associated with God (James 1:17). Faithfulness – pistis: Faithfulness in this verse does not mean loyalty or dependability. It means belief in God, acknowledgement of His Word, surrender to Him, and the actions that naturally result from that surrender (Hebrews 11:1). When we possess the Spirit’s fruit of faithfulness, we are full of faith/trust in God.
Galatians 5:22-23: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. The fruit of the Spirit is what grows in us as born-again believers and helps us to show the love of God to those who don’t know Him. The closer we grow to God, the more of the fruit that becomes evident in our lives.
The “Fruit of the Spirit” is a great passage of scripture for kids that immediately gives them something they understand and can relate to-fruit! This series of lessons gives you a great opportunity to include activities, crafts, songs and games revolving around cheerful, colorful objects. Purple balloons (grapes) and other vibrant colors can be part of your visual representation of the fruits. Fake fruits are often available in craft stores for additional props.
The primary key to everything. Along with temperance (self-control), love is a bookend that helps hold the other fruit in place. It is a love that surpasses human understanding and causes a person to be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19). Its divine characteristics are detailed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. “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”.
Being moderate, kind; the absence of harshness or severity. The Apostle Paul illustrates gentleness by the example of a mother feeding her babies (I Thessalonians 2:7). Moral excellence; virtue. God is the ultimate example of goodness. Goodness is holiness put into practice and results from knowing God. Goodness enables you to do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27) as well as those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). It is the goodness and grace of God that leads people to repentance. That’s why we need to be good to people. Our witness won’t have any power unless we are kind to others. We are called to be light in a dark world, and we must make up our minds that we are going to shine!
The lessons we offer are written on a level that children can fully understand. Paired with our coloring pages and additional activities the lessons can bring this group of attributes to life. Check out our selection of children’s songs to add additional fun and enthusiasm to learning about the fruit of the Spirit. Discover more details with the Fruit of the Holy Spirit video on YouTube.
Love – agape: Agape love is not a sentimental, sweet, affectionate emotion. It is a choice to put others first and to sacrifice ourselves on their behalf (John 15:13). This kind of love can only come through God’s power. Joy – chara: Joy is not happiness; that is, it does not depend on “happenstance.” It is independent of our worldly situation. In Philippians 2:1-4, Paul associates complete joy with fellowship and peace in the body of Christ. True joy is the result of a right relationship with God.
