“The Fruit of the Spirit”
Galatians 5:22–23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
President M. Russell Ballard said:
“Brothers and sisters, let us be anxiously engaged in good causes. Let us love the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us sustain and live by the revelations of the restored gospel. Let us love our fellow beings and fill our hearts and souls with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then we will sing with Isaiah:
“‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; . . .
“‘Therefore with joy shall [I] draw water out of the wells of salvation’ (Isa. 12:2–3).
“We also know from Paul’s inspired words to the Galatian Saints that ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
“‘Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. . . .
“‘If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit’ (Gal. 5:22–23, 25).
“As members of the Church, each of us needs to model what it truly means to be a believing and behaving Latter-day Saint. Our example will have a powerful effect on others, making the restored gospel become much more relevant, meaningful, convincing, and desirable to them. Let us, each one, radiate to others the joy, confidence, love, and warmth of being part of the true Church of Christ. Our discipleship is not something to be endured with long face and heavy heart. Nor is it something to be jealously clutched to our bosoms and not shared with others. As we come to understand the love of the Father and the Son for us, our spirits will soar, and we will ‘come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy’ (D&C 45:71).
“Let us reach out in friendship and love to our neighbors, including those of other faiths, thus helping to build better family-to-family relationships and greater harmony in our neighborhoods. Remember, too often our behavior is a bigger deterrent to others than is our doctrine. In the spirit of love for all men, women, and children, help them to understand and to feel accepted and appreciated.
“Let us remember that it is our duty to be faithful to the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes faith—real faith, total and unreserved—to accept and strive to live prophetic counsel. Lucifer, the adversary of truth, does not want us to feel or exhibit that kind of faith. He encourages disobedience, planting defiance in the hearts of the unwary. If he is successful, they will turn away from the light into the darkness of the world. Our safety, our peace, lies in working as hard as we can to live as the Father and Son would have us live, in fleeing from false prophets and false teachers, and in being anxiously engaged in good causes.”
(“Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 64.)
