Walk in the Spirit

Paul writes so wonderfully about the attributes of the Christian life; “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.These nine beautiful jewels crown whoever possesses them with the very glory of His nature. And yet in reality those who possess Him are rightly a adorned. The Christian life is not so much about reaching the fruit as it is about acquiring the Spirit. It seems to me that Adam and Eve attempted to acquire fruit without knowing Him.There is a vast difference between the Tree and the fruit, between the treasure and the King, between the gift and the Giver. I think that we are called to purse one and receive the other. The wayward son returns home to the father, in Luke 15, to the loving arms of his father, not robes, shiny rings, etc. -- all of which are his upon his return.Our relationship is not with the things, the fruit, but with the Father, from whom all these things flow.At the beginning and at the end of his talk about “fruit” Paul encourages his readers to “walk in the Spirit”. This indicates that we are not focused on the fruit, as if they are some sort of strategy for individual improvement. They are not the formal for a better life -- become more loving, become more peaceful, become more kind -- and then you are a better person, no!The calling here is not to walk in the fruit but to “walk in the Spirit”.  Paul is admonishing us to walk in the Spirit that we have received! To reach for the fruit instead of reaching for the Spirit is like trying to grasp for good things without having acquired access to the Good Treasury. It’s like trying to life like God apart from God.  The goal of Christianity is not to force certain behaviors or morals to fit into these nine categories of “love, joy, peace,…. “ that is like painting the house without fixing it first. We would be addressing the wrong issue. We all recognize the futility of trying to improve our behavior without changing our hearts!!! There is a much needed change of our own perceptions of Christianity. We are not to merely acquire peace, but rather to “walk in the Spirit of Peace.” This is an inner renewal an inner change that brings the heart under the control of the Holy Spirit, who then releases all the fruit of the Spirit.