Yesterday we began some reflections on what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit.

And I said I would read them out each day this week, Galatians chapter 5.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, self-control.

Fruit grows on trees, but we might say in this instance fruit grows in threes, because

these nine fruit of the Spirit seem to divide into three sections.

The first three are love, joy, and peace, a trilogy.

And this isn't the only place that Paul mentions them together.

We might immediately think of Romans chapter 5, verses 1 to 11, since we've been justified

by faith we have peace with God.

And we have joy in the hope of his glory and even in times of suffering.

And all because of the way God has demonstrated his love towards us and poured out that love

into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

What's interesting about these three being mentioned in Romans 5 is that they are

earlier, peace, joy, love is different.

Here the order is love, joy, peace.

I wonder why that is.

I suspect it's because in Romans 5 Paul is talking about the roots of our own Christian

experience.

We have peace with God and that leads us to rejoice, and as we rejoice our hearts are filled

with the love of God for us, poured out into us by the Holy Spirit.

But in Galatians Paul is speaking about the fruit that flows from these roots.

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