The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  -Galations 5:22,23

Love:
Agape, wishing the best possible outcome for the other person regardless of relationship with that person. Note, this includes tough-love.

Joy:
Original Greek words imply boundless or overflowing. Think of the wine at Cana, 180 gallons for a simple, country wedding feast.

Peace:
Serenity. Productive relationships free from rancor and strife.

To not be torn apart by conflicting desires.

Patience:
The endurance to work through friction to achieve a better result.

To allow "noise" to pass around our soul without being disturbed.

Kindness:
In Greek, old wine was called "chrestos" which meant that it was mellow or smooth. Not abrasive.

Kindness is doing a good turn for another without expectation of something in return. 

Faithfulness:
One who keeps his commitments. One who cleaves to his faith even when times are hard. One who has proven worthy of trust.

To have earned respect.

Gentleness:
Tranquil.

Gentleness implies deep reserves of strength. A small pony must jerk the sledge to get it moving while a Percheron draft horse can simply lean into the harness and start it moving by virtue of it's inherent strength.

Self control:
To have mastery of one's thoughts, passions and actions. To not take excessive counsel of one's fears.

Those who cannot master their lives become the slaves of others.



Getting to heaven is a bonus.