On the ninth day of Christmas … nine ladies dancing. This day’s gift in the song can stand for the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self–control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV).
LOVE. In the Greek translation of the Bible, there are two primary words used for love: “philia,” which is the kind of love felt between friends, and “agape,” which is a sacrificial, unconditional love like that of God. The word for love used in Galatians 5:22 is agape. Through the Holy Spirit, we can love one another with this sacrificial, unconditional love. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16 NIV).
As discussed on the third day of Christmas, LOVE is the greatest virtue. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)
JOY. We think of joy as a feeling experienced when something good happens. Yet, joy in the Biblical sense does not come from what we experience but from what God gives us. Christians should even count trials as joy, because the testing of our faith, provided to us by God, produces qualities that build up genuine belief.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3 NIV)
PEACE. While peace between people and nations in the world is often short-lived, God’s peace is everlasting. His peace gives comfort even when things are not going right. God’s peace comes from knowing that He is in control and has a plan for all His people. In fact, God has already given all people the opportunity to be eternally saved through His Son, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. His peace cannot be taken away from us, regardless of personal disputes and international relations.
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV)
PATIENCE. God’s timeline usually doesn’t match our own. This requires the Christian to patiently trust that God’s plans are perfect and worth the wait, no matter how long that wait is! Patience is bearing with annoyance, provocation, pain, and other misfortunes without complaint or loss of temper. While we wait, we ought to do good works in Christ’s name for our neighbors and spread the Gospel message as far and wide as possible.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NIV)
KINDNESS. Christians are called to look outward, not inward. Kindness means being considerate, compassionate, and helpful to our neighbors. There are many ways to show kindness to others. We are especially encouraged to speak kindly to others so that they will be built up and encouraged, not torn down or discouraged. Do not become a stumbling block for someone else’s faith.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)
GOODNESS. The worldly definitions of goodness could make anyone’s head spin. God’s definition of goodness was laid out long ago in His Law, especially the Ten Commandments, written on our hearts and revealed in His Word. This is what God expects of us and threatens punishment of eternal damnation if we don’t obey. Since we cannot meet His expectations because of our sin, He sent Jesus to fulfill His Law for us, all in His goodness, love, mercy, and grace.
Jesus reminded His disciples of this: “’Why do you ask Me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the Commandments.’” (Matthew 19:17 NIV)
FAITHFULNESS. Christ shows true faithfulness to God, because He never has and never will sin. After Jesus ascended back into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate and Helper. The Holy Spirit enables us to be steady and constant in our relationship with God, which is possible only through Him. We show our faithfulness through the fruits of our labor for His Kingdom.
“But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” (Hebrews 3:6 NIV)
GENTLENESS. Jesus came into the world not through power but in a meek and mild manner, born to a lowly carpenter and a young virgin. He was born in a stable or barn, wrapped in rags, and placed in a feeding trough for a crib. Jesus came to us as gentle and as humble as He possibly could. He calls Christians to likewise be gentle in the building of His Kingdom here, rather than trying to accomplish His work through force. Try forcing someone to believe anything and you will quickly find out just how little success you will have there. You would be lucky if they weren’t completely shut off to it afterwards.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30 NIV)
SELF-CONTROL. Sinfulness is looking inward and giving into the desires of the flesh. Through the example of Jesus Christ, we are able to control our impulses – in our desires, thoughts, words, and actions – for the benefit of others. In having and demonstrating self-control, we can further God’s work in someone’s life and walk of faith, rather than being a stumbling block to them.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)
Soli Deo Gloria!
Philip Frank
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”The Twelve Days of Christmas” song image in the corner is by Xavier Romero-Frias and used under Creative Commons license BY-SA 3.0.
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