Galatians 5:16-26

Galatians 5:16-26 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  My ability to tell trees apart is limited.  I know what an evergreen tree looks like, and I can tell a giant sequoia when I see one.  I know a maple tree, and that's about where my tree knowledge ends.  I know that trees are made of wood and are expensive to have someone cut down. 
  But when I see a tree covered in apples, I know that it's an apple tree.  When I see a tree laden with oranges, I can make a pretty good guess as to what kind of tree it is. 
  In the same way, when I see someone who is patient, kind and faithful, I learn something about what kind of person that is.  When I see someone who acts loving and gently towards others, regardless of race or class or creed, I know something about that person.  It doesn't tell me everything, but it tells me something.
  So when you act, it reveals something about your character.  Are you driven by sensual things, constantly angry or causing strife?  Then you may only be seeking pleasure for yourself.  But if you are consistently patient and faithful, then you clearly are acting out of selfless love, and those are the people I want to tell more about.
  If you want people to hear your story about how you have been saved by grace through faith, seek to practice the fruit of the Spirit, as God will use these traits to create windows through which the Spirit may flow.  In living out the fruit, we point to Christ and the grace with which we are freely loved.  We demonstrate that we do not belong to or seek only ourselves, but we belong to Christ, who loves beyond measure.