Every true believer wants to be the best person they can be, they want to develop the fruit of the Spirit. The challenging part is actually knowing how godly fruit develops and also seeing that fruit impact other people’s lives.
Have you ever tried to grow in patience, self-control, love or any of the nine fruit of the Spirit? Did you notice a difference?
The problem is you probably feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work. Fruit just doesn’t seem to be growing. Some areas of your life simply just remain the same. I know that frustration all too well. It brings with it a sense of falling short and disappointing others as well as yourself.
Where we sometimes go wrong, is by searching for fruit. Searching for more love, joy and peace in all of the wrong places. The important thing to hold onto is that you have been created by God to automatically bear fruit. That’s just your nature. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but it’s true. So let’s explore how you can develop the fruit of the Spirit.
I recall sitting in Bible college for about four or five months. I expressed my frustration of expecting that I would have changed but it felt like I was still the same. The scripture told me, I would change, so why wasn’t I seeing it? (2 Corinthians 3:18) Another student who was in the year above me shared her testimony and experience of feeling just like I did. But after just relaxing and letting the Word do the work, she was able to see herself changing and growing. Thankfully, after some time and patience, my testimony was the same. I too began to see fruit develop. It happened without me even noticing and this is what I want to guide you towards.
The Kingdom way of developing fruit of the Spirit
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.
John 15:5 ESV
Take the imagery of a grape vine. The grapes grow on the branch, but the branch grows out from the vine. Now this may sound a little weird because the branch is not a communicative organism, however I want us to consider that the branch doesn’t have to look for grapes. It doesn’t seek out grapes and neither does it have to strain and try with all of its strength to produce grapes. The branch simply remains where it originally grows from, it doesn’t do anything different than remaining in the vine.
I know this sounds simple, but I have no doubt that we all try to overcomplicate this process at times. I certainly have.
Jesus is that vine. We are those branches.
As branches, our role is not to go looking for fruit or straining ourselves in trying to produce it. Yes, at times we lack love in our communication with others. We lack patience when those around us seem to challenge us. We lack self-control over lustful desires or addictions. Yet, we aren’t instructed to force ourselves to show love, patience and self-control. No. We are instructed to abide in the vine.
Abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ means that all of his goodness and nutrients flow through to us. We can try as hard as we like to produce the beautiful fruit that God desires for us to have, but if we remain disconnected from the vine, it becomes dead works. It will be unfruitful.
As simple as this sounds, this is how the Kingdom of God works. All God desires for us to do is to abide in Him and He does the work through us.
Let Jesus do the work of developing fruit in you
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7 KJV
How did you first come to receive Jesus? By admitting your weaknesses as a human and embracing his strengths as Lord. It was by finally feeling accepted and loved, or by wholeheartedly believing that Jesus was raised from the dead for you. It is in these small actions that we come to know the Lord Jesus and it is by the same actions and beliefs that we continue to abide in Him.
When we received Jesus and salvation as a result, we did nothing to earn it. We couldn’t go out and “collect” salvation for ourselves. In the same way, we can’t collect, gather or find anything good for ourselves without the Lord Jesus. Good is from God.
Verse 7 of the above scripture speaks about being rooted and built up in Jesus. If we desire Jesus’ fruit, we must remain rooted in His vine.
How to abide in Jesus to develop the fruit of the Spirit
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:1, 14 KJV
Jesus is the Word made flesh. Therefore, as we spend time in God’s Word, we are abiding in Jesus.
Abiding in the Word doesn’t only have to be reading the Bible. It may also involve meditating or thinking about scripture, God’s creation, God’s thoughts towards you. Abiding in the Word could be through fellowship with God – praying and listening. It may involve praying in the spirit, imagining godly things, worshipping, giving thanks, being still, journalling and so much more.
If you don’t quite know where to start with reading the Word, I’ve created a FREE scripture resource just for you. You can use it in any way you like, for prayer, meditation, Bible study etc.
There are also many books and resources to guide you into a deeper relationship with God. Word & Freedom has a 30-day devotional called Closer to Him, that is available for exactly this purpose.
I don’t want you to click away from this post still in frustration about not seeing the growth you want to see. I, and most importantly, the Lord wants you to effortlessly develop fruit of the Spirit that all can see and experience! So, take action now by downloading your FREE scripture resource, or purchasing Closer to Him: your 30-day devotional of intimacy with God and intentional steps towards Jesus.