“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22).

1. Spirit-produced trust

2. Spiritual priority

3. Spiritual health

4. Spiritual giving

5. Spiritual admonishing

6. Spiritual sobriety

7. Spiritual wideness of heart

8. Spiritual honesty

9. Spiritual vision

The Holy Spirit is practical. He helps us attain to active discipleship, and He is the power that transforms to spiritual knowledge into works. He changes us into the image of Jesus, of whom it says, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). The Lord Jesus was doubtless the greatest and most influential Teacher that ever was. His emphasis was in first doing and then teaching, “…of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” This made an impression on His listeners and was not without results. Is it not a continual danger for us that we have Biblical knowledge, but the deeds are lacking? Often we know better, but we act contrary to our better knowledge. Neighbors, colleagues, family members or children look to us; they see our deeds and hear our words. Do our deeds underline what we say, or do bad deeds speak so loudly that they do not want to hear our words?

Just as we find the nine-fold fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22, we find in Proverbs 3 nine spiritual rules for our lives which are very practical.

1. Spirit-produced trust. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Do the people around us see in us a person who is trusting in God? Do they see someone who speaks to the Lord in prayer and casts his cares and burdens on Him? Do they see someone who, like Job, Joseph or Daniel, also knows how to trust in crises, who does not give up and whose faith is not shaken? A person who lives out his faith and proves himself in it makes a greater impression than someone who merely speaks of it and expects it of others.

Our intellect plays an important part in our faith lives and should not be switched off. But it can be in our way if it is not put under the Lordship of the Spirit of Jesus. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). “…Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Doubt in God’s dealings with us and questioning His Word do not bring us any further. Only those who overcome in faith, and trust God that He knows what He is doing and does everything right, will have the peace of God in their hearts. The Holy Spirit wants to help us to trust in God.

Somebody said, “Things that confuse us and which we do not understand have a certain purpose. They are a part of the jigsaw puzzle of our lives. God knows where the pieces belong. We would like to see the whole picture, of course, but as long as we are alive this is not finished. That is why we have such trouble in understanding God. We watch His doings all day long, but we only see the pieces that He is moving around. We never see the whole puzzle on earth.” Here, trust is necessary!

2. Spiritual priority. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). To “acknowledge” Him means that we should put Him first in everything, in the sense of, “Think of Him in whatever you do”; “Let Him be the motive for all you do”; “Seek first His kingdom.” If we seek His will in all that we do, we will experience His leadership, even if we do not always notice this.

In what spheres of our lives do we not want to let God tell us what to do? Usually, these are the spheres which give us the greatest problems. If we include the Lord Jesus, however, in all that we do, He will lead us in such a way that His will is done, and we will certainly not lack anything.

3. Spiritual health. “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (NIV = body), and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:7-8). “Reading is for the spirit what exercise is for the body,” said Joseph Addison, an English writer, in the 18th century. This applies all the more to the Bible. Reading and studying the Bible is for the soul like sport and training for the body. As soul and body are connected with one another, spiritual health often has an effect on the body. When the soul is sick, the body suffers. When the body is sick, the soul suffers. The apostle John writes of this connection between body and soul, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2).

In medicine, it is well known that emotional stress, sin, hatred, resentment or worry can lead to physical sickness, and that healing from this stress can also lead to healing from physical ailments. This does not mean, of course, that spiritually healthy and happy people cannot become ill. Many other factors play a part in this, such as genes, environment, accidents, infections, etc. But that which medicine confirms today and which is being researched more and more, the Bible taught us long ago. To have peace with God and to obey Him with all our hearts is better than all the “wise” human advice concerning physical fitness, which we are confronted with daily and which has become a lucrative market. “Be not wise in thine own eyes.”

How much money is spent on vitamins, health foods and therapies? This is not in itself bad, but the question is allowed, whether a God-fearing life in body, soul and spirit would not achieve more? At this point, I would like to quote Romans 12:1-2 as it appears in the NIV, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

In Proverbs 4:22, it says of the words of God, “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” And Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:8, “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”

4. Our spiritual attitude to material things. “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (Proverbs 3:9). Martin Luther is said to have said, “I have held many things in my hands and have lost them all. But everything I laid in God’s hands, I still have now!”

We cannot see anywhere better by whom we are led than in our attitude toward possessions. Is it the Holy Spirit, or is it the flesh; is it the Spirit or greed; is it giving or keeping; is it the firstfruits or the remainder? Paul describes to the Corinthians how it is when the Holy Spirit is at work when writing of the church at Macedonia (to which the church at Thessalonica also belonged), which gave, “…beyond their power…not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord” (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-8).

The Thessalonians had been radically converted. Paul testified of them that everyone knew how they had turned away from idols in order to serve God, and awaited the return of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Part of this was apparently the effect it had on their money, for greed (covetousness) is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

William MacDonald writes concerning the attitude of many Christians today that the assumption that striving after gain has to do with God’s blessing has caused us to worship money.1 Randy Alcorn gives a very impressive example of how fleeting the things are which we spend so much money on:

He asks, how we can teach our children the emptiness of materialism in a direct and impressive way? Try taking them on a trip to a junkyard or garbage dump. This can be a big family event. (The lines are shorter than the amusement parks, entry is free and little boys love it!) Show them all the mountains of “treasure” which were once Christmas and birthday presents. Show them the things which once cost hundreds of dollars, which children fought over, which destroyed friendships, for which honesty was sacrificed and over which marriages broke up. Show them the collection of arms, legs and the mangled remains of broken dolls, rusty robots and electronic devices, which after their short lifespan now lie around useless. Show them that most of the things which their families possessed will one day lie on a garbage heap. Read 2 Peter 3:10-14, where it is said that everything will be burned by fire. Ask them the impressive question, “If all that we once owned is lying around here, broken and useless, then what will we have done which will remain for eternity?”2

In contrast to this, someone else expressed it as follows, “Every temporal possession can be turned into an eternal treasure, because whatever we give to Christ in the same moment becomes immortal.” Perhaps much money could be saved that we paid to auto mechanics, for the renovation of things, etc. if we were to follow the rule to first strive after the kingdom of God. Giving is more blessed than receiving, even today.

5. Spiritual chastening. “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3:11-12). These verses are also mentioned in Hebrews 12:5ff. and in Revelation 3:19, and they are always in direct connection with the love of the heavenly Father. Chastening and correction can have two different reasons.

They can be a divine measure to bring people to turn to Jesus. Often a person only notices that he needs God when things go badly for him, and then he becomes open for God.

It can also be a punishment for sin, however, in order to bring a child of God to repentance and to keep him from doing wrong.

It is also possible, as with the Apostle Paul, that the Lord wants to keep a person from pride and to keep him humble so that His grace can be all the greater (2 Corinthians 12:7ff.). God had pleasure in Paul and wanted to keep him from stumbling, so He allowed something unpleasant in his life.

We must not always equate chastening and correction with punishment, however, and with the wrath of God. The above text does not say that God chastises those in whom He has no pleasure, but the exact opposite. It is about a loving chastising of the divine, perfect Father, about practical correction, to keep us on the right path and to help us to make progress, because He has a glorious goal that He is pursuing with us. 

6. Spiritual discretion or discernment. “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion” (Proverbs 3:21). With this spiritual advice, Solomon had the preceding verse in mind. Here, he speaks of the value of wisdom and understanding. Through these, the Lord made the heavens and the earth (cf. verses 13-20). Divine wisdom is behind all things in life, even salvation through Jesus Christ and eternal life, as we know. From this, we can only come to the conclusion that the divine wisdom that comes from His Word, and is inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the best wisdom which man can attain to, and to which he should aspire first and foremost.

More than ever we need people who can give good advice, who draw attention to Jesus Christ in wisdom, with tact and love, people who can take others by the hand and lead them to eternal life.

God made the wisdom of this world foolish because it is only concerned with earthly things and does not know God. On the other hand, He leads through the “foolishness of preaching” to salvation (1 Corinthians 1:20-21). With this, the Holy Spirit of God expresses the fact that even the “foolishness” of God (which in reality does not exist) is far superior to the wisdom of this world. As Christians, we must never lose sight of this, in view of the thousands of other things this world offers. This consideration and discernment should always control us.

A friend of mine, who is a psychoanalyst, psychotherapist and specialist in internal medicine, said that in over a thousand, hour-long sessions of psychoanalytic therapy, he tried, with the help of psychoanalysts and in his own strength, to change himself. His most important desire, to be able to love genuinely and deeply, was not affected. Only when he opened himself up to the love of God, did he feel able to love unselfishly. 

7. Spiritual generosity. “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee” (Proverbs 3:27-28). This reminds us of the words of Jesus in Luke 6:30, “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.”

One of the many blessed memories of the founder of our ministry, Wim Malgo, was his generosity. Where he saw need, he reacted very quickly and helped, and the Lord blessed this beyond measure.

Here and there we hear that it is stupid to lend to impoverished people, as they cannot give it back. The Bible teaches us, however, that we should quietly take this into account and still help. According to the above text, however, there are three things we need to take note of:

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due….” We should help those who need help. This should not be meaningless giving but purposeful support.

“…When it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” We should only help in a way that we do not lose sight of the perspective and as far as we are materially able to. There is no sense in being a guarantor or giving so much that we ourselves come into a financial bind. Thus, it is certainly not right to lend for the sake of lending.

“Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” Where we can help we should do it immediately and not promise our neighbor help later. Help must not be refused or postponed with pious arguments (cf. James 2:15-16).

8. Spiritual sincerity. “Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm” (Proverbs 3:29-30). This advice is particularly important in the family, in a marriage, for instance, or toward our parents, parents-in-law or relatives who live with us. Deceitfulness, envy, meanness, speaking evil of other people, giving them a bad reputation before others, accusations: all this is against the Holy Spirit. This also concerns our fellowship in the church. In New Testament terms, this means, “If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).

9. Spiritual vision. “Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31).  Many Christians look at the success of those who have gained it through not quite honest means and admire them, their success, their influence and their reputation. They look at doubtful personalities in the film and music scene and wish for some of their “luck.” In the movie and television world, the heroes who commit adultery, continually change partners, are violent, cheat others and use godless expressions are admired.

William MacDonald writes that we have become enthusiastic victims of stupid television programs. We have willingly let ourselves be pressed into the mold of this world (Romans 12:2), have adopted their way of life, their methods of entertainment and ideas.3 We should not admire the luxury of those who have no union with the Lord Jesus, “…for the froward [perverse] is abomination to the Lord” (verse 32), and, “Evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33; see also Philippians 3:18-19).

Of the nine-fold fruit of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, it says in Galatians 5:22-26, “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, 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. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Some people may be asking, how can we put that into practice in our daily lives? C. H. Spurgeon once asked: “If a piece of iron could speak, what would it say? It would say, ‘I am black, I am cold, 

I am hard.’  This is completely true. But if you put this piece of iron into the fire, and wait a while until the fire has proved its strength, what would it say then? ‘The blackness is gone, the coldness is gone, the hardness is gone; it has undergone a transformation.’ But if this piece of iron could speak, it would not boast of itself, because the fire and the iron are two very different things. If it could boast, it would boast of the fire that had transformed it into something completely different. ‘I in myself am black and cold and hard, but when the Lord takes possession of my soul, when His Spirit permeates my being and I am filled with His love, then the blackness, the coldness and the hardness disappear, yet the glory does not belong to me but to the Lord who accomplished it.’”

Those who give themselves to the Lord unconditionally will experience this transformation.

(MR0611/453)

ENDNOTES

1 Firm and True, 1/2011,  p. 3

2 Ibid., p. 18

3 Ibid., p. 3