Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
What is the purpose of our life here on earth? The Bible tells us it is to glorify our Father in heaven by bearing fruit. John 15:8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;
Again, as with my last post, all I need do is look to Jesus to confirm this. What did He do...He spoke and did only those things that His Father told Him. He emptied Himself and became obedient to the Father even to the point of death...the death of the cross. In fact, WE WHO BELIEVE, the Bible tells us are His fruit. We are the joy that was set before Him! We are the reason He willingly laid down His life! Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
A word on what fruit is and what it is not...
Fruit is born of the Spirit...it is not produced by human effort..it comes from a life submitted God as Jesus was submitted to the Father. It comes from a life spent in study, prayer and meditation of the Scripture. Fruit can be distinguished from works because fruit has life in it...it bears more fruit...works do not. Fruit glorifies God not man. It nourishes those around you and points them to Jesus. (not to you) Works are of the flesh and the Bible tells us that in the flesh nothing good dwells. (see the verses immediately preceding Galatians 5:22 for the works of the flesh) Even the word "work" implies sweat but the word "fruit" implies something that obviously grows and develops over time and is beautiful. The fruit discussed in Galatians is the fruit of character...becoming like Jesus. And fruit is singular...the first fruit is love...divine love...sacrificial love and the others (joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) all flow from that love. And as in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 all can be used to describe Jesus. Fruit is produced in the life of a believer as he beholds His Savior. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.-- 2nd Corinthians 3:18 It is a product of moment by moment decisions in a believer's life to surrender his will to God and walk in His Spirit.
What does the Bible say about bearing fruit:
John 15:4-5 says this: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
So in order to produce fruit we need to abide...to abide means to dwell with...all you really need to do to abide is to spend time with Jesus! Stay close...This was such a relief to me...I do not have to get up in the morning and say...what can I do today to produce fruit...I don't have to grit my teeth or do lots of works...I just have to stay close to Him. How do I stay close...by spending time in His word. As I do that the fruit is produced...it takes time...but it comes...then more fruit, then much fruit. I like to think of the tree in Psalm 1. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. What a beautiful picture of how a believer should look as he makes a practice of spending time with Jesus.
What does the Bible say about abiding in Him as it relates to obeying Him: John 15:10 says: 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. So those moment by moment decisions we make to do what the Lord is telling us to do at any given point in time.
What does it say about obeying Him as it relates to loving Him: John 14:23 says,“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. So if we love Him, we WILL keep (obey) His word. If there are areas of our lives then where we are not in obedience to the Word than we are putting those things before Jesus. In essence we are saying that we love them more than we love Him!
What does the Bible say about loving Him as it relates to knowing Him? John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. God reveals Himself to us in His Word as we diligently seek Him.
How do I bear fruit...by abiding...how do I abide...by obeying...how do I obey...by loving Him...how do I love Him...by knowing Him through His word...Stay the course...Stay close to Jesus...immerse yourself in His Word...the fruit will come and it will be precious.
James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
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