“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
We started back in August (2024) in the Abide Series by learning about grapes and vines. We saw that the primary fruit Jesus is looking to grow in us is love, and that intentional disciplines (habits, practices) are a trellis on which spiritual fruit can grow.
So now, as we conclude this series we come back to the Spiritual Life Worksheet we have been discussing and using the whole fall. It is simply a tool for you to use individually and to process with one or two friends to encourage and support each other in seeking to become as fruitful as possible in both character and ministry calling.
Think about a healthy vegetable garden. It takes planning, preparation of the soil, careful planting of seeds with consideration of the season, sunlight and water needs. The ground must be cleared of weeds and protected against their return. The soil needs nutrients and water to help the seeds germinate and the shoots to thrive. Then, with the right conditions, it simply takes time.
What are the conditions of your heart soil right now? Are there parts of your life that are hardened and resistant to the Holy Spirit’s presence and direction? Are there areas you keep shaded and away from the light of God’s holiness? Where are you seeing the fruit of the Spirit flourishing?
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Matthew 13:22-23
It is possible to hear the Word of God but to have the effects of the Word choked out of your heart due to “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.” Am I the only one who can relate to that? What keeps us from prayer and Bible reading? What limits our time with the Lord? We fret and worry about life and work and family and tasks. We are busy, like Martha, with so many things that we neglect the most important thing.
Notice the outcome of the good soil: the seed multiplies a harvest 100, 60 or 30 times over. In other words, Scripture produces change far disproportionate to its intake. The impact of God’s Word is exponential, both on you and others. One conversation can change the life of a person and ripple through all of their relationships and on through other families.
What is the condition of your “life garden”? Are you seeing kingdom fruit being regularly produced in your relationships with others? The fruit of the Spirit is first internal, as we become more like Jesus. Then the fruit is also external, as we live more and more like Jesus, loving people and teaching them the truth of God’s kingdom.
God wants every one of His children to be fruitful in both character and ministry calling. He wants our gardens to flourish both for our good and His glory. Take another look at the Spiritual Life Worksheet and consider whom you could meet with to encourage in the Lord!