Galatians 5:22-23

Each of these qualities is part of God’s character. These qualities do not grow in our lives because we work hard. Instead, they are like the good fruit that a tree produces. They come, as we trust Jesus and grow in our relationship with him (John 15:1-17). The Holy Spirit brings these qualities in our lives. He replaces our old character with God’s character.

These qualities are the opposite of our natural desires. They are opposite to the things that Paul wrote about in verses 19-21. They lead to good relationships with other people. To ‘love’ means to love in the same way that God loves us. God loves us in an unselfish way. He cares about us. He always wants us to have what is best for us. We may not like some people. But the Holy Spirit helps us to love them in the same way that God loves them.

Sometimes we have troubles and we feel sad. We may feel worried or afraid. But the Holy Spirit can make us happy and calm in our spirit. Other people may cause trouble for us. We do not need always to oppose them. We can remain calm even when we suffer.

God has been kind and good to us. And the Holy Spirit helps us to be like that towards other people. We can do good deeds. We can be generous and helpful.

When a Christian is loyal, other people can trust him. He is honest. He will do what he says. Gentle people are never cruel. And they are not proud.

Our natural desires are very strong. And they are often selfish. We may control some of them. Or we may control them for a short time. But we can never completely control them. But the Holy Spirit gives us the power to control all our wrong desires.

The *Jewish law cannot produce these qualities. The people who have these qualities already obey the most important law (verse 14).