Is someone getting the best of you?

When we say, “someone is getting the best of us”, it’s usually not a good situation. It means that someone is getting us to a place of frustration, anger, bitterness or something else other than a positive emotion. The best of us is the God in us. The fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; these are the best of us. The only way anyone could possibly get the best of us is if we give it to them. There may be situations that make us happy but true joy comes from God. Joy isn’t an emotion but a fruit. It’s a permanent attitude that remains regardless of what happens in our life. The fruit of the Spirit should never change in our life, these should be constant. Don’t ever let something take your fruit. Your fruit is your strength in life.

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” -Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

No matter what happens to us we are in control of our fruit, our emotions, and our attitude. No one can “make” you anything. No one can make you mad. No one can make you sad. No one can make you depressed or anything else. We have complete control over one thing; ourself. So why on earth would we give the one thing we are in control over to someone else? This precious fruit that God is growing in our lives is something that we don’t give away. We display fruit but I argue that it is to valuable to give away. Let’s reserve the best of us, for those who bring out the best IN us. Although, those who don’t bring out the best in us still may enjoy the fruit of the Spirit on our lives. However, by no means should we give it to them. It’s just too valuable.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. -Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV