An Athlete's Guide Through the Fruit of the Spirit

Overview

“God has more important things to do than worry about what happens in a football game.”

These, or similar statements, have been made about football, or whatever sport is being discussed at the time. One problem with this statement is that it saddles God with the human limitation of having to prioritize His to-do list. God can be concerned with our play, our work, and every other thing in creation all at the same time. Since God’s Spirit resides in each believer, it follows that the Fruit of the Spirit (reverently abbreviated to FOTS) can be growing and evident in and through every believer – even in our game. This series will briefly examine each of the FOTS listed in Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…

Before you dive into The Fruit of the Spirit Series, below are four important “pre-game” instructions.

1. The Christian walk, including growing and displaying the FOTS, only comes from the power of Christ in us. As athletically-oriented people, we tend to think that we can will and work our way to sanctification. Like in our athletic training, if we do enough reps, we will improve. There are spiritual disciplines that we should practice to cooperate with the work of the Spirit in our lives, but our sanctification is the miraculous work of God by His amazing grace. Lean on God as you go through this study. Just as fruit on a tree is the product of the tree getting sunlight, water, and healthy soil and patiently waiting for the proper season, the FOTS is a product of the Spirit’s work in you! Delight and trust in the Lord as you ask Him to grow His fruit in your life.
2. Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1 encourage believers to meditate on and apply God’s Word – with wonderful promises attached. We encourage you to memorize, meditate on, and seek to apply the FOTS in your life, including in the sport that you play or coach.
3. Galatians 5:14 reads, For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself…” Some believe that love is THE Fruit of the Spirit, and the rest of the list flows out of love. In this series, we will examine how all nine FOTS can grow in us and be displayed in the way we play and coach.
4. Context is crucial anytime we seek to understand and apply God’s eternal and living Word. In Galatians 5:13, we read that we have amazing freedom in Christ because the Old Covenant law has been fulfilled in Jesus. Then comes verse 14, discussed above, encouraging believers to love. We are free in Christ, but we should always seek to act and speak in love. The passage then turns drastically dark and discusses the “opponent” of the FOTS, the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh, listed in Galatians 5:19-21, are the epitome of unloving acts (hatred, jealousies, anger, dissension, sexual immorality, etc.). Immediately after this dark list comes the word “but,” followed by the wonderful list of the Fruit of the Spirit.

To ensure you get the most out of this study, we included a Training Exercise. We encourage you to prayerfully and thoughtfully work through these exercises.

We are praying that as you invest this time studying and applying the living Word of God, you will have the joy of seeing the Fruit of the Spirit flow in and through you. Game on!

Training Exercise

1. Memorize Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…
2. Write a short prayer asking God to use this study to develop the FOTS in you.
3. Pray for one or more people by name to see evidence of the FOTS in your life and sports, and that they would seek God more intentionally as a result.