Producing good fruit takes time and effort.
The Holy Spirit – Part 7
Each spring I plant a half dozen tomato plants, anticipating a crop of big, red, tasty tomatoes. Over the years I’ve learned that it takes time and effort to produce good tomatoes. First I look for an area of my back yard that gets lots of sunlight; I put effort into preparing the soil; I carefully follow the directions that explain the correct depth for planting the new plants; I mulch the ground around the young plants; I prune and thin out leaves to allow for good circulation; I pinch off suckers; I water the plants as needed; and I wait patiently for the fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruit) to form and ripen.
After a period of time, all of this effort pays off with a nice harvest of tasty tomatoes.
In much the same way, the fruit of the Spirit needs time and nurturing for it to grow in a Christian.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
When we become Christians we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. However, just receiving the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that we are all loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.
The fruit of the Spirit needs to be nurtured in such a way that it can mature. For the fruit to grow and mature, a Christian needs to spend time in the Word and spend time in prayer. For the fruit to mature, a Christian needs to be willing to relate to others and serve others. For healthy fruit, a Christian needs to spend time in worship. Trials of various kinds (James 1:2) helps the fruit to mature. Pruning, as strange as it may seem, (John 15:2) is also needed to produce good fruit.
A life that is being transformed by Christ is rewarded with a harvest of life changing fruit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
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