Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.” You may have heard about the fruit of the Spirit and wondered what it is and how it relates to our Christian faith.
In this series, each fruit will be explored and related to our everyday lives. Just like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. As we mature in our faith, all the characteristics of our spiritual fruits will grow as well.
The third fruit of the Spirit is peace. The word ‘peace’ appears nearly 429 times in the Bible, which helps us understand why the phrase “Peace be with you” is so important in the faith community.
One of the strongest human desires is for peace, whether it be peace between nations, peace between neighbors or even peace within our own minds. Peace is listed in the top three characteristics of the fruit of the spirit. Without love, joy and peace, the rest of the fruits are not possible. God has also called us as Christians to be peacemakers.
Over the last several months, we have experienced unprecedented global anxiety. People are stressed about finances, children, work, relationships, sickness—the list goes on. It’s difficult to find peace during these circumstances.
In Philippians 4:6-7 we are told, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
God’s perfect peace is an amazing gift that is hard to understand. How can people find peace of mind when things are falling apart around them? The fruit of the Spirit of peace provides the inner peace of mind and contentment even in less-than-peaceful situations.
If you are having anxiety, take a moment to sit and be still. The peace that can comfort you during this time comes from the Holy Spirit within us. Having peace doesn’t mean that you will not have conflict, stress or difficult times. Peace is knowing that our God is in control.
