Scripture: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen¬tleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."—GAL. v. 22, 23.
We have seen what the two first lessons are on prayer. We must pray the Father every morning to give us the Spirit anew, and then pray the Spirit to teach us and help us. Here is a third lesson—commit to memory the text at the head of this chapter.
Christians often think that they have only to ask God to teach them to pray, and He will do it at once. This is not always the case. What the Spirit does is so to strengthen our spiritual lives that we are able to pray better. When we ask Him to teach us, it is important that we open our hearts to His gracious influence, so that our desires are stirred, and we first of all surrender ourselves to the working of the Spirit. This surrender consists in naming before Him the fruits of the Spirit, with the earnest prayer to be filled with these fruits. So that the benefit of learning the text by heart will be, that as we pray for the teaching of the Spirit, we may say: "Here is my heart, fill it with the fruits of the Spirit."
Think of the first three fruits, Love, Joy, Peace, the three chief characteristics of a strong faith life. Love to God and to Christ, to the brethren and to all men. Joy, the proof of the per¬fect fulfilment of every need, of courage and faith for all the work we have to do. Peace, the blessed state of undisturbed rest and security in which the peace of God that passes all understand¬ing can keep our hearts and minds.
In the last discourse with His disciples, Christ used these three words, with the word "My" before them. "Abide in My love." "That My joy might remain in you." "My peace I give unto you." Shall we not lay before the Spirit as the great desire of our hearts that He may make these fruits reach perfection within us? Then at last we shall be able to pray aright, and always ask more and more of our Heavenly Father.
