Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

— Acts 2:38

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

— Romans 15:13

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

— Galatians 5:22-23

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners

— Isaiah 61:1

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Paul mentions the 9 fruit of the Spirit given to and lived out by believers. It is like this. Love forgives when it should retaliate. Joy shows up even when our life is falling apart. Peace that doesn’t make sense to anyone else stretches beyond what people thought possible. Kindness shows up in little moments not just big gestures. Goodness runs deeper than image. Faithfulness keeps showing up when no one claps. Gentleness is strong enough to be soft. Self control actually sets us free. These virtues sound impossible. And it is why it’s called the fruit of the Spirit.

It is supernatural character grown inside surrendered believers and we can’t fake it, microwave it, or manufacture it, but we can receive it. This is what happened to Peter. He went from a quick tempered impulsive fisherman to a steady Spirit filled apostle pastoring the early church. It’s what happened to Paul. He was transformed from a violent prosecutor into a man who preached grace and ministered Christ to churches.