"Knock-off" brands can look so close to the real thing... I remember shopping in Bangkok, Thailand and noticing several brands that - at first glance - made me think it was the real thing. After a superficial glance, the look of a pair of Nike shoes seemed to have all the authentic marks. The swoosh was in the right place, but the name "Nike" looked dubious. After examining it closer, the "N" was actually an "M"... Yeah, that's "MIKE"! There were several other counterfeit goods for sale in Thailand including: fake Puma shoes, called "Fuma". Fake Adidas shoes, called "Addas". My favorite of all (yes, I fell for it...) was the counterfeit Rolex watch. I was really proud of my Rolex watch that had a peculiar second hand. The second hand had a graceful sweeping motion until it reach the 30 second mark and then it ticked harshly. In case you didn't know it, Rolex watches have a uniquue second hand that sweeps instead of ticking. My uncle enjoyed placing our watches side-by-side so he could show me the difference in his real thing vs. my counterfeit. 

In Galatians 5:19-23 there's a probing list of attributes that are referred to as the "works of the flesh" and the "fruit of the spirit". Here's the passage: "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." The phrase, "those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" is quite shocking! We look at this list of "works of the flesh" and we think: “MAN, I’M OUT! There's no hope for me. Before you lose hope, this phrase is NOT talking about one violation, but those who LIVE like this. The Greek (pardon me) here is a present participle meaning, "continually doing" these actions in a carefree attitude. This type of living says, “I DON’T CARE. I'M THROWING THE TOWEL IN". If this continual, cavalier living with no resistance to sinful desires describes you…You should be asking, “Has the Spirit of God really invaded my life?” Let me suggest an APPLICATION… in the form of a Reflection Question…From the list of the "works of the flesh", which of these have you been delivered from / are you being delivered from lately? Spend some time thanking God for giving you freedom. Which of these do you need to confess / repent of right now? Spend some time meeting God there in your need. 

The opposite of the “works of the flesh” is “the fruit of the Spirit". What is the Fruit of the Spirit? Is it teaching, motivating, leading, singing, managing, IQ, EQ, charisma? [Those may be your abilities or your personality…] The fruit of the Spirit is the very evidence (and unmistakable mark) that GOD has come into your life and has taken up residency. That’s what it means to be a Xn. The Holy Spirit has invaded your life and there are marks of it. Let's look at the "fruit of the Spirit" and its counterfeit. LOVE is serving a person for their intrinsic value, NOT for what the person brings you. COUNTERFEIT LOVE is selfish affection. You're not really attracted to the person, but to how this person’s love makes you feel about yourself. JOY is not a human-based happiness that comes and goes. Rather, true joy thrives in difficult times. COUNTERFEIT JOY is elation that comes with blessings instead of elation that comes with knowing the Blesser. PEACE does not mean the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict. True peace is confidence and rest in the wisdom of God more than your own. COUNTERFEIT PEACE is indifferent and apathetic and because of deep anxiety. PATIENCE is the ability to take trouble (from others or life) without blowing. COUNTERFEIT PEACE appears to handle suffering joyfully, but underneath the smile is cynicism - resenting God and others.

At the half way point of looking at this list of 9, let me warn you of looking at yourself and feeling either great or horrible. Instead, LOOK TO CHRIST and see that Christ is the embodiment of human flourishing: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Receive Christ's attributes personally. Don't just see God as love. See His LOVE for you! See His JOY for you! See His relentless PATIENCE towards you! 

KINDNESS is acting for the good of people regardless of what they do. COUNTERFEIT KINDNESS is unable to rejoice in other's joy and success and is envious. Fake Kindness tries to mainpulate others with their good deeds in an effort to receive kindness back from others. GOODNESS is seen in people who have honesty and transparency. COUNTERFEIT GOODNESS is sharing the "truth" without "love" in the name of being honest. FAITHFULNESS is seen in people who are loyal. COUNTERFEIT FAITHFULNESS is "love" without "truth". This person values being "loyal" more than being willing to confront or challenge others. GENTLENESS is when a person forgets about themselves, NOT because they are inferior, but because they are concerned more about the other person. COUNTERFEIT GENTLENESS is simply feeling inferior to others because of fear of what may happen to you. SELF CONTROL is the ability to choose the urgent over the important thing. COUNTERFEIT SELF CONTROL is mere willpower through pride or through more coping mechanisms. 

Have you ever been given credit for something that you didn't deserve? This notion of COUNTERFEIT FRUIT hit me last week…My daughters and I spent some time together repairing their bicycle tubes. I remember them praising me, "Dad, you're so patient, thanks for fixing our bikes." I wasn't being patient. I kept telling myself, "Just have some patience why don’t you!?” To my girls, it looked like I had the fruit of the Spirit called "patience". Truth be told, I wasn’t patient. I was bulldogin’ it through it just to “win”. The "fruit of the Spirit" is NOT a to-do list! For example, "I'm going to be more patient if it kills me, dog-gone-it!” What I noticed with repairing the bikes last week was a strange connection between patience AND love - or the lack, thereof! When I became impatient, I became unloving to those around me. Let me suggest an APPLICATION… in the form of a Reflection Question…From the list of the “fruit of the Spirit”, which one or two of these have you been growing in lately? Spend some time thanking God. This is not YOUR fruit. It's the "fruit of the SPIRIT". Which of these do you most need to grow in right now? Spend some time meeting God there in your need. 

Growing the "fruit of the Spirit" is a process of abiding in Christ. God promises to "continue the work He started in you." As you abide in Christ, may He bear much fruit in and through you.