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Help Ministries, 240Junction Street, Berlin, WI (2026)

10/17/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we are continuing our study on the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul writes in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Love produced by the Holy Spirit is different from human, natural love. This fruit of the Spirit goes beyond natural love in that it produces love for our enemies. When we love our enemies, we do not merely put up with them; we are motivated to do good to them. Jesus taught, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). This is the kind of love Jesus showed when He hung on the Cross and cried, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). And this is the love that Jesus wants to produce in each of us.

Love borne out of the Spirit is sacrificial and does not fail. It is in the area of sacrifice that natural love most resembles the spiritual fruit of love. When natural love is strong, a person may be willing to sacrifice for the one he or she loves, even to the point of death. This is what God did for us. Paul writes, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Thus, love that comes of the Spirit is sacrificial and never fades.

The Spirit also desires to produce joy in our lives. In fact, joy should be a dominant trait in every believer. Many Bible verses speak of joy. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). The Psalmist writes, “In thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

There is a big difference between natural joy or happiness and spiritual joy. Natural joy is usually based on circumstances. When things go well or people experience good things, they feel joy. However, the fruit of joy produced by God’s Spirit does not require comfortable circumstances. For instance, when Paul and Silas were in the Philippian jail, they chose to sing praises to God at Midnight although they were in great physical pain (see Acts 16:25). Their attitude in the face of persecution showed the Spirit’s joy.

That’s it for this week. Until next time keep trusting and believing…..

10/10/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we will continue our study on the fruit of the Spirit. We will look at the need for both fruit and gifts of the Spirit.

The gifts of the spirit are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10: the message of wisdom, the message of knowledge, the gift of faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. As God’s children, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we can personally experience the gifts of the Spirit. However, due to the often exciting nature of these spiritual manifestations, some people focus more on the gifts than on the fruit of the Spirit.

While recognizing the importance of the gifts, let us not lose sight of the significance of the fruit of the Spirit. There are nine fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5, and nine gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. Both are divine and supernatural. A good way to understand the difference between the two is to remember that fruit is for developing Christlike character in our lives. Gifts are predominantly outwardly focused, to minister to the body of Christ and others. Fruit takes time to grow; gifts are given immediately.

People who exercise spiritual gifts have the greatest need to show the fruit of the Spirit. Spiritual gifts do not measure the spiritual depth and character of a believer. In fact, the believer who operates in the gifts of the Spirit without much evidence of spiritual fruit can dishonor both his or her own testimony and that of Christ. Such inconsistency must be avoided at all cost.

Clearly, God places great value on the fruit of the Spirit. It is the quiet influence of a Christlike life rather than the seemingly explosive power of the gifts that truly validates a person’s relationship with the Lord. The optimum condition is when fruit and gifts work harmoniously in the believer’s life.

Christians are a work in progress. Growth in all areas of our lives is continuous and progressive. Furthermore, when we speak of the fruit of the Spirit growing in our life, we must remember two simple truths: the believer must cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and fruit produces visible change.

The Lord will not force development of spiritual fruit in our lives. He alone can produce fruit, but we must yield to Him. Therefore, we must avoid doing what displeases and grieves Him. If we want to see growth of spiritual fruit, we have to make a concerted effort to keep out the weeds or acts of the sinful nature and stay connected to the vine, the source of life.

While the development of the fruit is ongoing and perhaps not as rapid as you wish, changes will be noticeable. People will see the fruit of the Spirit in your life and be amazed. This brings glory to God! While you are not yet the finished product of God’s workmanship, you are also not what you used to be. God is pleased when He sees genuine progress, so do not be discouraged when the fruit seems to be growing too slowly. Remember that God does not see what we used to be; He sees what we will become.

That’s it for this week. Next time we will begin looking at the nine fruit of the Spirit. Until then, keep trusting and believing…..

10/03/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we’re going to continue looking at prerequisites for bearing fruit.

The first prerequisite was there has to be life - we must be born again. The second prerequisite is that we have to continue abiding in Christ.

A third prerequisite for fruit-bearing is that there must be a desire to live in the Spirit. Paul says in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Living in the Spirit is sometimes referred to as walking in the Spirit, and it indicates one’s yielding to the Spirit’s direction and guidance. To be led by the Spirit implies surrender to the authority and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Consider this brief illustration: When traveling in a foreign country, it is much easier to have a knowledgeable guide. The guide knows the geography and culture of the land and can make visiting a new place more interesting and enjoyable. So it is for the believer. When we are led by the Spirit of God, our journey on earth becomes far more God-pleasing and productive.

A final prerequisite for fruit-bearing is recognition of the law of sowing and reaping. Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8). We need to ask ourselves what kinds of things we want to reap in our lives. If we want the right kind of harvest, we need to sow properly. We sow good seed by doing what the Lord asks of us.

In his epistles or letters, the apostle Paul identifies a number of negative human attributes. He calls them the works of the flesh or the acts of the sinful nature. Some of these works are immorality, impurity, sensuality, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, drunkenness, and carousing. Knowing that God wants to produce good fruit in us, we have a responsibility to sow properly so that with the Spirit’s help we reap a good harvest.

That’s it for this week. Next time we will look at the need for both the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Until next time, keep trusting and believing…..

09/26/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we’re continuing our study on the fruit of the Spirit, and we’ll be looking at the role of salvation in bearing fruit.

In order for there to be fruit, there has to be life. We must experience salvation through faith in Jesus Christ before we can bear fruit. This salvation is often referred to as regeneration, or the “born-again experience.” A true believer and follower of Christ is indwelt by the Holy Spirit who produces good fruit. Matthew records these words of Jesus, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:17-19). Regeneration is a prerequisite for bearing good fruit.

A second prerequisite for fruit-bearing is an ongoing union with Christ by the Spirit. John records Jesus’ words: “I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, and thrown into the fire and burned’” (John 15:5-6). Notice that Jesus is the vine, and we are His branches. We have to abide in the vine to grow and bring forth fruit. People who do not follow through on their commitment to Christ and stay in close fellowship with Him cannot produce spiritual fruit pleasing to God. If you uproot a flowering plant from the ground, you would not expect it to blossom. Likewise, when we are not rooted and grounded in a relationship with Christ, we will not bring forth fruit.

That’s it for this week. Next time we’ll look at some more prerequisites for bearing fruit. Until then, keep trusting and believing…..

09/19/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we’re going to start a study on the fruit of the Spirit.

Webster’s dictionary defines fruit as “the effect or consequences of an action or operation.” This fits well with the Scriptures’ teaching on the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit develops as a direct result of the Spirit’s action in our lives as Christians. In fact, the process begins the moment a person accepts Christ as Lord and Savior.

The apostle Paul writes, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, or**es and the like…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5: 19-23). Paul makes a unique distinction between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. The works of the flesh flow out of our sinful human nature, but the fruit of the Spirit is the result of the Spirit’s activity in us. Growing the proper fruit is impossible without the Holy Spirit, but we also have a part to play in the process. We must willingly cooperate and respond to what the Spirit is doing in us.

Over the next few weeks we will look at the role of salvation in bearing fruit, we’ll talk about having a balanced life with the need for both the fruit and gifts of the Spirit, and then we’ll look at each of the nine fruit of the Spirit. So, next time we’ll look at the prerequisites for bearing fruit.

That’s it for this week. Until next time keep trusting and believing…..

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240Junction Street
Berlin, WI
54923

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