The Kingdom Connection and Fruit of the Spirit

HAVING not spoken with a close friend for some days, I sent a text message for encouragement in the midst of his busy, thriving life.  Immediately he called back.  During our 15-minute chat, one thing we both landed upon simultaneously:

Those who are Kingdom-minded, Kingdom-inspired, Kingdom-called, Kingdom-motivated — in sum, those who are Kingdom-connected — these are the ones who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).

And then later in the day, in conducting supervision, something striking came about as a learning that was reflected over:

Fear has its root in negativity.  Fear skews our perceptions.  Fear disconnects us from experiencing and exemplifying the fruit of the Spirit.

Those who are Kingdom-connected resist fear by being won indelibly to the Kingdom.

The Kingdom-connected express love, effervesce joy, embody peace, exhibit patience, exert kindness, exemplify faithfulness, exude gentleness, and enjoy self-control.

Yet when we are controlled by fear — those who are not Kingdom-connected — tend to miss love, dismiss joy, lose peace, lack patience, find kindness, goodness, gentleness and faithfulness inaccessible, and be spiritually wayward.

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Enjoy the fruit of the Spirit in your life when you’re Kingdom-connected.  That is, get out of yourself and your own problems and issues, and get into what Jesus is doing.

When Jesus becomes number one, the Kingdom is first, and everything else takes care of itself — God sees to it.  Trust this.

There is no better living reality than to express love, effervesce joy, embody peace, exhibit patience, exert kindness, exemplify faithfulness, exude gentleness, and enjoy self-control.

Give your fears over to the Kingdom and find that the Kingdom has already taken your fears and resolved them.

© 2016 Steve Wickham.