Fruit of the Spirit

       My desire, though I fell, is to become more Christ-like.  When I was saved, the Holy Spirit entered my life and set about leading and guiding me.  I have to make choices every day on what fruit I am to produce, and Galatians 5:22-23 plainly teaches me, while the Holy Spirit works within helping me to yield and turn from my stubborn ways. 
     After looking at several biblical versions of Galatians, I found no differences in interpretations and can make no excuses for poor behavior.

  The King James Version says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, .. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 The New International Version says it almost the same, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


I found in the Living Bible, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  ²³ gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws.


The New Living Translations writes, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!


Finally in the American Standard Version I am told, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.
    
    My prayer is that I will become more productive, grow better fruit, and reap the harvest.    I pray that all people across this land will accept Jesus and become more Christ-like.  I pray that prayers will return to the classroom, that people will seek to live by the fruit of the Spirit. I pray for our newly elected President, Donald Trump and Vice President, Mike Pence.  I pray they will be led by the Spirit so that they will lead our great nation according to the will of our Almighty God. 
     Only by living by the fruit of the Spirit will our nation heal itself, come together in love, and our current divisions be resolved.