Fruit of the Spirit

Hear the word of God (See Handout #1)

“For freedom Christ has set us free.” Galatians 5:1 (NRSV)

What does this mean?

We are free for living our baptism:
 To live by the Spirit
 To claim the five Spirit-given gifts of discipleship
 To bear the fruit of the Spirit

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. There is no law against such things.” (Galatians 5:22 NRSV)

NOTE: The fruit of the Spirit is singular, but contains nine virtues (habits) and is expected of each Christian.
These virtues are not automatic, but we pray to live in the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Our Daily Diet of Prayer: Fruit of the Spirit

Option 1: MORNING PRAYER
Each morning, begin your day in prayer, asking to be filled with God’s Spirit so you might bear fruit.
Gracious God, set me free to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Fill me with your Spirit, so that I
might bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control. There is no limit to this fruit. May it be so in my life. Amen.

Option 2: MEALTIME PRAYERS

At each of your meals, focus on three virtues of the fruit of the Spirit. You know your day. Feel free to
switch your prayers from one meal to the next.
BREAKFAST: Holy One, fill me with love, joy, peace. Amen
LUNCH: Holy One, fill me with patience, kindness, generosity. Amen
DINNER: Holy One, fill me with faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Amen

Option 3: THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Remember the fruit of the Spirit as you pray multiple times throughout the day—as you wait at a traffic
light, in carpool lines, for a meeting to begin, or while you exercise. Check whether you can recall all nine
virtues of the fruit of the Spirit. Pay attention to which of the nine virtues jump to your mind immediately
or which ones you have a difficult time remembering. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you
something.

Option 4: LONGER DEVOTIONS (See next page.)

Find a quiet place to sit. Pray for God to set you free to live in the Spirit. Read the verse of scripture for
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each virtue of the fruit. Pause. Breathe. Pray.

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Living our Baptism: Fruit of the Spirit, written by Robin McCullough-Bade

May be reproduced for local, non-sale use provided the copyright notice is included.
www.elca.org/faithpractices Copyright © 2017 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT The fruit of the Spirit is kindness.
Gracious God, set me free to live as a disciple of
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
Christ. Fill me with your Spirit, so that I might
forgiving one another, as God in Christ has
bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience,
forgiven you.” –Ephesians 4:32 NRSV
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness,
Holy Spirit let me show kindness.
and self-control. There is no limit to this fruit.
May it be so in my life. Amen.
The fruit of the Spirit is goodness.
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast
The fruit of the Spirit is love.
to what is good … Do not be overcome by evil,
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious
but overcome evil with good.”
or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not –Romans 12:9, 21 NRSV
insist on its own way; it is not irritable or Holy Spirit let me show goodness.
resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but
rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness.
all things, hopes all things, endures all things. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
Love never ends.” –1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NRSV the conviction of things not seen….Therefore,
Holy Spirit, let me show love. since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and
The fruit of the Spirit is joy. the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with
“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face perseverance the race that is set before us,
trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of
because you know that the testing of your faith our faith…”—Hebrews 11:1; 12:1-2 NRSV
produces endurance; and let endurance have its Holy Spirit let me show faithfulness.
full effect, so that you may be mature and
complete, lacking in nothing.” –James 1:2-4 NRSV The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.
Holy Spirit, let me show joy. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near … Always be ready to make
The fruit of the Spirit is peace. your defense to anyone who demands from you
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not it with gentleness and reverence.”
let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them –Philippians 4:5, 1 Peter 3:15 NRSV
be afraid.“ –John 14:27 NRSV Holy Spirit let me show gentleness.
Holy Spirit let me show peace.
The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.
The fruit of the Spirit is patience. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety
for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us and worldly passions, and in the present age to
in our weakness; for we do not know how to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and
pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and
with sighs too deep for words. the manifestation of the glory of our great God
–Romans 8:25-26 NRSV and Savior, Jesus Christ.” –Titus 2:11-13 NRSV
Holy Spirit let me show patience. Holy Spirit let me show self-control.
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Page

Living our Baptism: Fruit of the Spirit, written by Robin McCullough-Bade

May be reproduced for local, non-sale use provided the copyright notice is included.
www.elca.org/faithpractices Copyright © 2017 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Affirmation of Baptism Handout #1
Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism:
to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

RESPONSE: I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.

FIVE GIFTS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Inner Gifts:
Strive for LIVE among God’s faithful people
justice and Live among
peace in all God's faithful
the earth people HEAR the word of God and SHARE in the Lord’s
supper

Serve all Hear the

people, word of God Outer Gifts:
following the and share in
example of the Lord's PROCLAIM the good news of God in Christ
Jesus supper through word and deed

Proclaim SERVE all people, following the example of

the good
news of God Jesus
in word and
deed
STRIVE for justice and peace in all the earth

How are these gifts to be used?

Each of the five gifts of discipleship has the potential to deepen our understanding of what it means to
follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit provides these gifts of discipleship with each of the five gifts flowing and
overlapping with the others.

On a daily basis, we are invited to live, hear, share, proclaim, serve, and strive—in the name of Christ. God
guides and shapes us in the living of our baptism in the newness of life in Christ as we practice our faith
each day. These five gifts help us to practice our faith and serve as a reminder of who has claimed us in
baptism.

If we do not practice faith, it is easy to get confused, complacent, chase other dreams, lose focus, and
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wander away from God’s calling—not reflecting our new life in Christ and the love of God. It is God’s work,
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but our hands as we are sent out into the world to be a visible witness to the love of Christ.
Living our Baptism: Fruit of the Spirit, written by Robin McCullough-Bade
May be reproduced for local, non-sale use provided the copyright notice is included.
www.elca.org/faithpractices Copyright © 2017 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America