"The Puritan writer John Owen vigorously insisted that the fruit of the Spirit is the work of the Spirit and not of human origin. These godly qualities are not something we can manufacture, take pride in, or lay claim to as self-generated. Rather, they are the work of God, and their source is God alone. However, we have a crucial role to play. I call these character traits "garments of grace" because we must actively put them on. As Owen eplained, we are responsible for acts of obedience by which this fruit is "preserved, increased, strengthened, and improved." from p. 9 of the preface of The Fruitful Life by Jerry Bridges I wrote last week that I have been hesitant in the past to read a book about the fruits of the spirit. My hesitancy laid in some of what I see in the culture we live in. In our culture, the church often gets caught up doing what Sarah did when God didn't work as she wished. We don't wait on Him and seek to do things H...