Each day of your life is an opportunity to grow closer to God and become a better witness of Him in all you do.
In John 15:5, Jesus says, "l am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing."
Galatians 5 describes the kind of fruit Jesus Christ was talking about in verses 22 to 23. It lists these fruits.
The fruit of the Spirit is ¹ love, ² joy, ³ peace, ⁴forbearance, ⁵kindness, ⁶goodness, ⁷faithfulness, ⁸gentleness, and ⁹self-control.
A vineyard is a beautiful place to visit.
Walking along the rows of carefully planted vines, you can almost feel the tender care that the farmer put into them.
Luscious green leaves and bright red grapes 🍇 bursting with flavor are all evidence of a healthy vine.
The branches of a vine grow wild. They tend to stretch way too long, toppling over themselves, dragging the other branches down with them.
A good farmer will prune such branches. These pruned branches are cut off from the vine to protect the other parts that remain.
The pruned branches die and dry out because they can't grow without staying connected to the main plant, the vine.
When Jesus Christ used this metaphor, he was saying just how important it is for you and I to stay close to him.
Without our connection to him, we cannot do anything.
John chapter 15 speaks about abiding in the vine.
Apostle John, who was also known as the beloved disciple, was kind of like Jesus's best friend.
He stayed close to Jesus Christ, and he actually grew in grace quite a bit from when we first met him to the last time we read about him in the Bible.
At first, apostle John was stubborn and fiery.
In his immaturity, John wanted to pray down fire on a city, and he thought the point of his disciplehip was getting the best seat in heaven. Jesus Christ called him and his brother , James, 'sons of thunder'.
But when we meet apostle John at the end, in his Revelation that became the last book of our Bible, this same John is now full of grace and humility. This is the natural byproduct of abiding in God and living near Lord Jesus Christ.
Just like a plant that naturally produces fruit when it is in the right conditions, your life will seem to naturally grow the fruit of the Spirit when you stay near God. Why?
Because you were made for it.
When the Creator made you, he had companionship and friendship in mind.
You were designed to stay close to the Father God.
Just like Eve in the Garden of Eden, it is when we turn our backs on Him and try to grab other fruit that things go wrong.
There is no quick fix to getting the fruit of the Spirit. You cannot buy it or steal someone else's.
These fruits grow by daily living with Jesus Christ, talking to God about your day, studying Him through music, the Bible, archaeology, and nature.
What might change in your life if you experiment with this? Schedule one God moment every day this week.
When I started doing this, I thought I needed to spend hours in prayer and do a deep study of the Bible every morning and be done with that.
But that felt lifeless and honestly kind of boring. I knew that God was not boring.
He breathed galaxies into existence.
So something was wrong with how I was trying to spend time with Him.
I tried many different things and the thing I realized was this. God cannot be tied down to a 'box' of Bible study time alone. He wants to permeate every area of my life and every second of my day.
His attention does not shift between holy and secular like mine used to do.
God's eyes are always on me.
The invitation is always there in every moment. Abide in me, he beckons.
This does not have to look like ticking a box or performing a ritual. It looks like becoming aware of his nearness in the now. That's all. It felt easy and light.
And then the unexpected happened.
From this place of enjoying God's presence, I seem to naturally develop a hunger to read His Word. And what's more, I changed.
Viewing my life through this new lens made me different.
Staying near God transformed me and made me bear much fruit.
It's like Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will."
The Holy Spirit can feel difficult to understand and hard to connect with.
Jesus Christ said that the Spirit is our Gift and our Helper. He is God with us.
Isn't that what abiding is all about?
Don't miss the invitation from the Spirit this morning before rushing into your day.
Take a moment now to breathe deep in and out.
Holy God's very own Holy Spirit is in the room with you. You are not alone. God gave you a Helper.
You can access God's Holy Spirit no matter what you've done because Jesus Christ made the way. It's called the fruit of the Spirit for a reason. These fruits grow into the daily lives of those who walk in step with the Holy Spirit, aware of God's presence.
John 14: 26 explains the Holy Spirit in Jesus words.
He said, "The advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
This Holy Spirit will help you grow in grace daily and bear much fruit.
The love of God will overflow in your life and everything you do. You will be known as a joyful person because of this and you will carry an inner peace.
Trusting in God's timing, you will be patient.
It will be said about you that you are really kind. You will be good to those people around you, be faithful to your word. You will be easy to trust.
The humility of Christ will be evident in your life. and you will practice self-control.
Let's pray together that God will teach us about each of the fruits of the Spirit so that our lives may bless those around us and bring Him glory.
Pray that you will grow in grace today.
🙏🏽 🙏🏽
Dear heavenly Father, I'm so ready to become a person known by your Holy Spirit.
I want to be a tree, like Psalm 1 explains, one that bears fruit in and out of season with leaves that never wither.
It's hard to not get burnt out over it and exhausted.
But Father God, as long as I am planted next to your river of living water, I will flourish.
You help me to stay near you by laying down the other things vying for my attention.
Jesus Christ said that love is the greatest command. It's the beginning and the end.
I pray right now for a deeper revelation of how much you love me. You created me beautifully and wonderfully without flaw or error. After creating Adam and Eve, you stepped back and said, "That is very good.
Father God, help me to see myself through your eyes. The truth is that I am loved, accepted, and good enough.
All of my shortcomings were already paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
So I can walk openly and boldly in this life. l am loved by the Creator of the universe.
For it is from this place of knowing I am loved that I can love others in my own life.
May joy overflow from all I do. With my identity secure as your beloved,
I feel a deep and pure joy rising up from my insides. Father God, when I look at your creation, I can see you have a sense of joy.
Show me the little things you do every day to make me smile.
I want to shine my light brightly and cheerfully so that others are drawn to ask what makes me so happy and I can testify about you. Christ that living in me. Amen.
When others look at me, may they also see your peace that transcends understanding.
Help me to not escalate tense situations but to be a person of peace. Make me patient, Lord.
Whether I am waiting in line or waiting for a breakthrough, show me how to wait well.
You develop my character when I do not get my way immediately. Help me to put my trust in you, patient and enduring until the time is right.
Lord, make me kind.
When I'm hard and full of sarcastic remarks or judgment, I make it hard for others to see you in me. Soften my heart, Father God.
I want to mirror your goodness to the world around me. You are so kind. Help me today to be generous and fair to every person who crosses my path.
When it is within my means to give, may I do so. Help me to not withhold good from someone when I am able to bless them.
You are so faithful, Father God.
Help me to radiate that faithfulness in my own life.
I want my no to be no and my yes to be yes.
I want to be a trustworthy person who always does what I said I would.
It's hard, Father God, when I get distracted or forgetful.
From the first day of my life, you have been so faithful. You never leave my side. You never take your eyes off me.
I want to be faithful to you, too, Father God.
Forgive me when I get a little lost and lead me back to your everlasting love.
Above all, God, keep me gentle.
I don't want to hurt, offend, and run over others. I want to listen more than I speak.
The perfect example of this gentleness I find in none other than Jesus Christ himself, my Lord and Savior.
He did not come to be served but to serve.
Even though he was God incarnate, he humbled himself and went low.
Father God, my ego often gets in the way of being gentle and lowly of heart.
And Lord, teach me how to practice self-control.
Whether by fasting or abstinence or routine, I realize I need to teach my body and mind how to be controlled.
Father, please show me one practical way to grow in self-control. This week, make my life full of all these fruit of the spirit.
These are not things that I summon from within myself by trying or striving.
Sure, I have a role to play, but ultimately Father God, these fruits come from abiding in you.
Apart from you, I cannot do any of this.
Help me grow in your grace daily and become the person you made me to be. I want to bear much fruit so that my life will sing of your goodness.
In Lord Jesus Christ's name, I ask and received with thanksgiving to you, my Father God. I love you, I trust you.
Amen.
🙏🏽
Respected visitor,
May you spend the rest of this day tucked in close to Jesus Christ's heart and leaning on Him all the way. Your life will overflow with the fruits of the Spirit when you keep abiding in Him and living His way.
Thank you so much for tuning in. If you are going through any difficulties these days, we would be truly humbled to pray for you. Please feel free to share in the comment section. God bless you and may His peace be with you. Amen, to our Father, be the honor and glory.
Psalm 1:
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
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