The Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit

Several "ah-ha" moments today. I mostly want to share scripture for this post. I might share some commentary...we'll see. You may be very familiar with this first scripture...but read it anyway...perhaps the Spirit will teach you something "new."

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23

You could interpret "lusts" for anything that is worldly. What does it mean "fruit of the Spirit?" My first thoughts have always been that these adjectives describe how you might feel when the Spirit is with you...and the characteristics the Spirit always has. While this is true, it was impressed upon my mind that I need to partake. What good is a fruit if you leave it on the tree and simply look at it and admire it? We most enjoy the fruit when we partake of it. Thus, I need to be more gentle, meek, loving, good, etc. Partaking of the fruit, and not just enjoying its beauty, will help us become more like our Heavenly Father.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.
2 Peter 1:4-10

And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.
Alma 13:27-29

Finally, as we partake of the fruits of the Spirit, I think we will more readily be prepared to receive the gifts of the Spirit.

And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them. For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom; And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles; And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things; And again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits; And again, to another all kinds of tongues; And again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues. And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will. And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ. And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men. Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.
Moroni 10:8-20

We are engaged in a spiritual battle. We need both the fruits and the gifts of the Spirit to conquer our enemy and be victorious. Whether we want to fight or not, Satan will bring the battle to us. Are we preparing ourselves? God help us (and He certainly wants to).