“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)
What are the things you want to be filled up with today? What camps in your heart? What makes its home so easily in your heart?
The original Greek word for fruit in Galatians is “karpos,” and it means “the result of something.” When the fruit of the Spirit is displayed in our lives, it is a sign or a result that we are being led by the Spirit of God. Just like grapevines have to be connected to the vine to bear grapes, the fruit of the Spirit working in our lives is evident that we are connected to Christ.
When our lives yield to God's word, the evidence is found in the fruit. This kind of fruit is attractive to others and causes them to want to join God's family. Galatians 5:17 says, “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” These two realities are constantly at war with each other. We can either be led by the flesh or by the Spirit, but we can not be led by both.
When we allow ourselves to be led by our flesh, we can open ourselves to a spirit of jealousy, which is contrary to being led by the Spirit of God. Jealousy is an emotion that tries to dominate and take over us. It has a power that most emotions don’t. It can completely consume us. Jealousy is the ugliest outfit we can put on.
We learn in 1 Samuel 18:9 that “from that time on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” Jealousy watches. It is the green-eyed monster. If love is blind, jealousy is awake. And it never works alone. It has three primary companions: fear, threat, and vain imagination.
Fear is jealousy’s primary partner. The spirit of jealousy causes us to be afraid of losing our position or our importance.
The secondary partner—threat—creates an invitation for jealousy to rise within us. Do you feel threatened in any areas of your life?
The last partner to jealousy is vain imagination. When Saul heard the cheers of the people in 1 Samuel 18:7, he imagined David being greater than him. He ruminated on those images, and they consumed his life.
Fear, threat, and vain imagination can consume our lives. The only antidote is to trust in God. What does trust in God look like? It looks like surrender, obedience, forgiveness, love, and servanthood.
Reflection Questions
Can you think of a time when you were caught up in either someone else's jealousy or your own? What did that do to your spirit?
How can we display humility in the face of persecution?
What can we do when the impulse to give into the spirit of jealousy comes up?
Do you think the friends you choose to be around have anything to do with how you process jealousy?
How has God led you through a fearful situation in the past?
