2 Corinthians 5:12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart.
As believers, we know about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, patience, and self-control. These are fruits that the recreated human spirit bears. Not the Holy Spirit, because He doesn’t bear fruits. Also, in 1 Corinthians 12, we see the gifts of the Spirit such as the word of wisdom and knowledge, healing, prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, faith, the working of miracles, etc. In this excerpt, I would want to elaborate on the need for a balance of both gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the spirit. Most Christians want the gifts of the Spirit but do not have the desire for the fruit of the spirit. How you end up in life is dependent on your motive for doing things. A lot of people want these gifts just to prove to others that they are also powerful. Your heart is important when it comes to the desire for gifts of the Spirit, hence the opening scripture.
Someone may be walking in these gifts because they are freely given by God but may not be walking in the expression of the fruit of the Spirit. Spiritual growth, really, is not measured by the gifts you operate in but by the fruits you bear. Usually, we tend to believe that because someone can raise the dead, it equates to maturity. Spiritual growth is the vent you give God’s Word in your life.
Our walk with God is one that must daily lead us to become like Christ and exhibit fruits. By their fruits, you shall know them.
What is going to sustain the credibility of the gifts we possess are the fruits we bear.
The fruit of the spirit in you determines your reaction to life situations. That is what molds your character. This theme of gifts with fruit is just like charisma with character. You can have an exceptional ability to do something but it is not necessarily a reflection of your character. That’s why you don’t marry someone based on their gifts.
In the opening scripture, we see that there are people who take more pride in what is seen than in what is in the heart. In other versions, it said: those who brag about having a spectacular ministry than having a sincere heart. 1 Corinthians 13 emphasizes love, a fruit of the Spirit, and how even if a person could speak in tongues, have enough faith to move mountains, and prophesy without love achieves nothing at all. Speaking in tongues, faith, and prophecy are gifts but love is a fruit. This means the fruits really matter to God.
At the end of our lives, what is going to matter is not the one who had the best spiritual gift but the one who operated in the fruits as well. We are told in Matthew 7:22-23 that many will say they performed miracles and prophesied in God’s name but He will say He never knew them. This means gifts are never enough. Even our eternity is largely based on the fruits we bear not just the gifts we demonstrated. There are people who can do mighty things but don’t have their source in God.
People who operate in the fruit of the spirit are those that abide and are connected to Christ. John 15 talks about abiding in the vine so we can bear fruit. The one who abides till the end without being distracted because of the gifts is the one who would be told: Well done, good and faithful servant. There is a way that the gifts you operate in can be an enemy to having a relationship with God like the branch connected to the vine because you tend to think you have arrived and no longer need to spend time in the word and prayer anymore.
The more you grow in the fruit of the Spirit, the better you are in the manifestation of God’s power through the gifts He has given you. The most important things are the intangibles that only God sees: the heart with which you do things. When your heart is right, you can use the gifts in a pure manner. You will not manipulate others because of the power you exude.
Determine to please Him rather than men. In addition to the word of wisdom, knowledge, discerning of spirits, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, faith, healing, miracles, and speaking in tongues, let there be love, patience, kindness, joy, self-control, goodness, longsuffering, faithfulness, gentleness, and peace.
The Word In Clarity 