Imagine how the disciples must have felt when Jesus told them that He had to leave them. This Man had called them from their ordinary lives, shown them incredible miracles, and taught them about kingdom-living. He’d changed the whole course of their lives. Jesus knew that they would miss Him, so He assured them that it was actually better if He went because it would open a new era of power and authority for them (have a read of John 14:12). Jesus leaving wasn’t the end, but a continuation of His ministry. He would leave, but He told the disciples that the Spirit would ‘help you and be with you forever’ (John 14:16 NIV). The Spirit would enter their human bodies and live permanently in them. God’s Spirit chose us as His permanent dwelling place. This wasn’t just an advantage for the disciples, it’s also an advantage for us. For example, we might wake up tomorrow feeling stressed, weary, and irritated, and these feelings could easily dictate our entire day. But because the Spirit lives in us, these things don’t have to control us. Paul writes, ‘Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?’ (1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV). Once we accept that promise by faith, we become God’s temple. When we’re going about our everyday life, whether at work, at home, at the doctors, or somewhere else, God’s Spirit is living in us. It means we’re never alone. We always have the Spirit helping us. The Bible says, ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). The Spirit causes these things to grow in our lives, making us more like Christ.

What Now?

Read through the list of the fruits of the Spirit. Pick one you want to develop, and then ask the Spirit to help you grow in that area.