Remembering Paul Freese

The apostle Paul tells us “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23)

Just as a farmer cultivates his crops for maximum “fruit bearing”, cultivation can enhance our own “fruit bearing”. Cultivation usually involves daily chores – sometimes watering, sometimes weeding, sometimes fertilizing, etc. Cultivation is another form of what Oswald Chambers’ referred to as “drudgery” or what Peter calls “adding to”; i.e. making a deliberate, planned, structured, repetitive effort to enable the Holy Spirit to nourish with His nutrients the elements of the fruit of the Spirit. These elements then, when so cultivated and matured, will make our Spiritual fruit sweet and desirable to those around us.

My friend Paul Freese was a great cultivator in every aspect of the word! He may have been the best model I’ve known of cultivating the attributes of the “fruit of the Spirit.” I could probably write a whole book illustrating these attributes in the various areas of Paul’s business, professional, church and personal life. We shared some pretty deep knowledge with each other. That’s not bragging – it’s just a fact that I was unusually blessed to be a part of! Maybe some day I can find the right words to really go into more depth about all this, but my emotions, like many of yours, are too close to the surface to even start today.

As we glorify God by yielding our wills and lives to Him and cultivate the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, we may even find a growing sweetness in our interactions with others. Don’t confuse this with becoming a “Mr. Milquetoast”. Having a sweet disposition in our human relations (including family relations) should not diminish our ability to stand firmly for truth and righteousness. Firmness and sweetness are not mutually exclusive.

Who have we known in our lives who bear this sweet fruit of the Spirit? Is it the person in the mirror?

P. S. There is a short bio available at: http://www.hollowayfh.com/obituaries/Paul-Freese/. Paul’s son Steve has written a longer bio which I’m sure he wouldn’t mind my sharing with anyone interested. You may contact me by email or on Facebook.