Fruit of the Vine… or just pulp?

Fruit is especially delicious when it’s been given the proper dose of rain and sunlight. Too much rain or not enough sun, the fruit trees don’t produce as well or the growth turns out mushy or tasteless.  Apples, cherries, grapes… all have their charm. However, God’s fruit—that is, the fruit of his spirit—is even more scrumptious in that it is comprised of nine different flavors or attributes. His spirit is a delightful blend of love along with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control—all in one fruit. This manifestation of collective attributes is what we need in order to live a complete and fruitful life in Jesus.

What’s good is that we don’t have to stress or strive to grow this fruit in our lives; it emanates from the Holy Spirit that works inside each believer as we are continually sanctified. God’s work in our lives, in combination with our yielded hearts, produces fruit that brings God the glory. Our yielding to the Father is the rain and sunlight.

By, through, and in Him, we are established to work for his good pleasure. As we remain in Him, we are promised that we’ll bear fruit that glorifies Him (John 15). In Acts 4:13, the disciples amazed the Jewish leaders by their insights despite not having any formal education. As we are steeped in Christ and abiding in his word, we have wisdom above and beyond our own capabilities to secure because the Lord is doing the increase in our lives.

When the world sees you bearing fruit for Jesus, they are now seeing the inner workings of the power of God’s grace. We may not be able to grow a fruit tree on our own, but with the Lord by our side, our lives can become a whole orchard by the time we get to Heaven.