Vital Signs: Saturday, September 21, 2024

Only God Knows the Heart

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” - ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Only God knows the heart, but what resides within us becomes evident through the fruit we produce. Others know us by what they see us doing. Let’s survey what others see: loving words and acts of kindness, or anger, bitterness, and disrespect for others? Peace and joy, or turmoil and discouragement? Gentle patience or harsh demands? Living faithfully and maintaining healthy boundaries, or making choices without restraint or values? Sometimes others know us better than we know ourselves—they can see the fruit we are putting into the world. Let’s survey our crops on a regular basis.