May 23 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

These readings focus on the Holy Spirit. In the Old Covenant (or Testament), the Spirit "anoints" one person here and one there to perform a special work for God. In the New Covenant, the Spirit is "poured out" like rain on the whole church of Christ.

Bible Reading:

Galatians 5: 13–23

Bible Text:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23).

Devotional:

You shall know the Spirit by his fruit. Only one kind of fruit is displayed in all Christians. The fruit may be riper and better in some than in others, but the fruit is the same in everyone. Only a vine can have grapes; crab apples grow on a different tree.

The one fruit is like a beautiful cluster of grapes that numbers three times three. Love, joy, and peace are the first three. Patience, kindness, and goodness are the next three. Faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control form the third trio.

Love, joy, and peace are what everyone wants and the world needs. People pray and work and join protest marches to make these virtues replace the thorns, thistles, and strife of this earth. Love-joy-peace grows out of us when God's love has gone into us.

The Holy Spirit is in us for the glory of God and the benefit of others. Some Christians endlessly look for the tongue of fire resting on their own head. Actually, it's for the neighbors—not us—to see. To them our patience, kindness, and goodness prove that the Good One has descended on us.

Our closest neighbors—our spouse or children or parents—will see the fruit of the Spirit in our loyalty, gentleness, and self-control. Yes, self-control; for all our desires are now tempered by love and moderated by the Master.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.