Tag: #bearingfruit

Why Godly Fruit Isn’t Earned, But Grown by the Spirit

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Bearing fruit in season and out of season, like an evergreen planted by a flowing stream, producing vibrant green branches year-round, comes from a heart guided by the Holy Spirit (Ps. 1:3; Jer. 17:7-8).

When Paul talks about staying in sync with the Spirit, he means letting God lead (Gal. 5:25, ESV). When our hearts are transformed by accepting Christ and the Spirit enters, we can start to produce the fruits of the Spirit that mirror God’s character (Gal. 5:22-24). There is an urge to actively cooperate with the new life we’ve received.

The fruit isn’t just something we produce on our own. Spiritual fruit comes from being made in the likeness of God’s image. Day by day, we as Christians can strive to become more like Jesus, who exemplified all aspects of God’s character as a model for us to follow. We are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26).

Jesus is described as the perfect “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and the “exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). He perfectly demonstrated the character qualities we call the Fruit of the Spirit.

On the path to becoming like Christ, we often fall short because of our human nature. The flesh cannot please God without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts (Rom. 8:8). Paul describes a struggle between flesh and spirit, a division caused by human sin that prevents us from doing what is right in God’s eyes until we accept Christ. Then, the Holy Spirit equips us with the spiritual armor needed to fight battles and push back the devil. The Spirit fights against sin, not just defensively but offensively, developing in Christians the positive qualities of a godly character, all of which are seen in Jesus in the Gospels (Gal. 5:22-23).

The Spirit’s essential role in equipping the believer is to strengthen us.

  • Defensive and Offensive: The Holy Spirit doesn’t just passively wait; He actively fights against sin. This is the power that overcomes the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21) and enables the believer to “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).
  • Spiritual Armor: The armor described in Ephesians 6:10-18 is often seen as the tools given by God, with the Holy Spirit acting as the active force that helps us use them effectively (e.g., the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”).
  • Positive Development (Fruit): The ultimate offensive move of the Spirit is the positive development of godly character—the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.). This fruit embodies the very character of Christ being formed within us, making the Christian progressively more resilient against sin and temptation.

Isaiah prophesied about a child from David’s line, “There shall come forth a shoot and a branch from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” (Is. 11:1-2, Emphasis added). He was speaking of Jesus the Messiah. He ruled with the help of the Spirit (Is. 4:2). He is described as the root and descendant of David, the bright and morning star (Rev. 22:16).

Jesus set an example for living and invited everyone to wash their robes—no longer living in their old ways (Rev. 22:14). While we wait for His return, we can trust in His promise that we will be together again (John 14:2). Essentially, the Holy Spirit is the way Jesus remains present with us until His physical return, empowering us to live a holy life and grounding us in the certainty of His promise. It guides us throughout our lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ and producing The Fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Ps. 1:3, Emphasis added).

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jer. 17:7-8, Emphasis added).

Everything for the Glory of God

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

In my blog last week, I mentioned a message based on 1 Corinthians 10:31, which states that whatever we do, do it for the glory of God. Everything was created by God and for His glory (Rom. 11:36; Rev.4:11); Creation’s purpose is to reveal God’s glory and power.

Simply said, we are to let our actions reflect God’s character and nature.

Let us take a moment to ask ourselves and God if we are doing anything contrary to this – let’s be honest with ourselves – and allow God to reveal anything that is not bringing Him glory. Let’s ask Him to help us remove it. Every aspect of our lives has the potential to honor God. We can trust God to remove anything that hinders us from bearing fruit in our lives.

Jesus highlights this analogy with the fig tree. From a distance, the tree’s green leaves gave it the appearance of being fruit-bearing, but it wasn’t. Jesus cursed the tree, and it withered (Mark 11:12-14; 20-26). We are meant to get rid of what doesn’t produce fruit in our lives.

The ESV Study Bible records that the cursing signifies the judgment of God on fruitless Jewish people who turned away from God into empty ritual and legalism (Hos. 9:10-17). This visual parable from Jesus illustrates His relentless pursuit of the genuine fruit of worship, prayer, and righteousness within the Jewish nation and its religious practices.

We can bear fruit in our lives, even amid turmoil and morally confusing situations. We always have another option, rather than giving in to temptations. There is always another choice. God always provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). After Paul enlightens us to this truth, he goes on in verse 14 to say, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Let’s substitute ‘because’ here. Because God always provides a way of escape from temptation, we should flee from idolatry. We have a choice.

Idolatry takes on many forms. Essentially, anything we prioritize above God or in His place is an idol in our lives. God is to be first over everything. Therefore, everything in our lives should bring glory to God.

I wish I had known this years ago. When we think we only have two options, we make bad decisions. I use a cheesecake analogy with the women in the support group I lead – if we’re hungry and all we have is cheesecake, we’ll eat it. Even if we know it isn’t healthy for us. We may enjoy cheesecake, but it is not a sustainable option. Don’t settle for the cheesecake when God offers a whole banquet at the palace of a King.

We need to be informed to make the best decisions. If we aren’t in God’s Word, learning about His character and the truth of what He says about us and what He wants for us, we will make ill-informed decisions based on what is in front of us, which can sometimes be detrimental to our well-being.

Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best. In other words, don’t compromise integrity for momentary pleasure.

Back to the Garden of Eden, humans used fig leaves to hide from God, after the first sin occurred (Gen. 3:7). If we are not producing fruit in our lives, no amount of greenery (or the appearance of doing good) will hide us from God. We can make better choices for a better life. We can reach our highest potential with God’s help – a life that Glorifies Christ, in the light of God’s truth about us and who we are in Him.

As believers, we are daughters and sons of the King. Let us live like it and bring Glory to God through the fruit in our lives. A life that produces fruit is the best testimony to Jesus Christ.

“You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21, emphasis added).