Fruit Needs Water

I have spent a lot of time in the past reading about and thinking about the fruits of the Spirit. Now that Pastor Scott has started a series of sermons about therm, I am giving them another look.

Have you noticed that every time you read a passage in the Bible, something different stands out to you? What stood out to me this time is that the fruits of the Spirit are not characteristics that I am supposed to try to cultivate on my own. Fruit is something that appears naturally in the right conditions. Among other things, the plant needs the right soil, the right amounts of sunlight and water, and adequate fertilization.

Jesus said, “I 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.” (John 15:5)

So producing fruit does take some work on our part. But not the kind of work I was thinking of before. Thinking, “I must try to be more patient,” or studying books about self-control methods didn’t get me very far. Try as I might, I could never force myself to feel joyful or to have peace. Reminding myself that I am supposed to love others never helped me feel much love for those difficult people.

What I have finally realized is that I can’t get the fruits of the Spirit by concentrating on the fruit. Jesus said it plainly: I need to concentrate on him. “Remain" in him is how he put it, and make sure he remains in me. Okay, Lord, I’m willing, how do I do that?

Well — when I make friends with someone, do I never talk to them or have contact with them? No. My best friend and I write emails to each other every day and phone each other frequently, get together as often as we can manage.

God speaks to me through his Word. Do I read it every day? I confess that lately, I have allowed other things in my life to crowd that out on a lot of days. I speak to him through prayer. Do I pray every day? Confession time yet again. Lately my prayers have been mostly quick and short. Sometimes not even out loud, no more than just a quick thought.

And when I pondered the fruits of the Spirit lately, I realized that they had started to kind of fade out of my life. They were not getting the things they needed to grow. The sunshine of God’s love, the water and fertilization of his Word.

And I think one other thing I need is the comfort and encouragement of my fellow believers. Grapes on the vine cluster together in bunches. Sheep — Jesus also said he is our shepherd — flock together. It’s so much easier to move in the right direction when you have company along the path.

I hope that sharing my struggles will help someone stay on the path. And I thank those of you who steer me back in the right direction when I start to stray. I pray that we all continue to move forward — together, in Christ.