“It’s a Fruit Wrap!”
September 14, 2021
Several weeks ago, as I began blogging on the fruit of the Spirit, I shared how I escaped elementary school without learning that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. Fortunately, in recent years, I fared far better in identifying the nine fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
As I blogged about each of the nine fruit, I was hoping to encourage you to examine your spiritual fruit bowl by asking you if you ‘got fruit?’ In John 15:16a we are told that Jesus appointed His disciples to bear fruit and fruit that would abide,
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide,”
Jesus chose His disciples, not simply so they would have had the thrill of knowing they were chosen, but so that they would bear fruit that would remain, and fruit that would bring glory to God the Father. Bearing fruit, especially the fruit that will remain, is not something we can muster up ourselves. My experience has been that the more I try to be patient, the more impatient I become. The more I try to be faithful, the more unfaithful I am. Bearing fruit is not the result of giving it my all. So if my efforts are powerless to produce fruit, how can I fulfill the appointment to bear fruit?
Our spiritual fruit comes from God and is the result of our union with Him and our abiding in Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.
John 15:5—“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
The fruit of the Spirit, is the “produce” of the Holy Spirit and by abiding in Christ, staying connected to Him, this fruit can be evident in our lives. While I cannot produce this fruit on my own, I can make sure of at least three things. I can make sure that I am a branch connected to the Vine, that I submit to the Master Vinedresser’s pruning in my life, and that I keep that connection by abiding in Him, so I may bear much fruit for His glory!
So how is your spiritual fruit bowl? got fruit? got a connection to the Vine?