This, That, & the Other: 11/28-12/04/2021
A Truth that is Impacting Me
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
John 15:4, Mark 4:20, Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
I have been thinking about “fruitfulness” a lot lately. Recently, I listened to a teaching on the fruit of the Spirit in which the teacher mentioned all the fruits listed in Galatians 5 should characterize a Christian’s life. All. You don’t get to select what fruits you have and which you can do without. Unlike specific spiritual gifts, the fruit of the Spirit is to be manifested in every believer’s life.
So often I focus too much on what I am doing rather than the kind of person I am. It is easier to keep a checklist of things you are doing or not doing than it is to honestly examine whether you are manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in your life or not. These qualities are not things we can force ourselves to do. They are the outcome of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. So the question is, how can you and I pursue the fruit of the Spirit?
In the verses above, Jesus gives us two answers to this question. The first principle is you and I cannot bear fruit apart from Him. In other words, you will not see the fruit of the Spirit manifest in your life if you are not abiding in Christ. What does this mean? If you are wandering from Christ, caught up into the things of the world, you will not see fruit in your life. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I meditate on Christ and His love for me? Or does my mind wander to earthly things when I get a spare moment?
- Am I more excited about entertainment or pleasure or romance or (fill in the blank) than I am about Christ? Are my emotions bound to Christ and who He is?
- Are my actions Christlike and consistent with what I know to be true about Jesus? Or am I acting out of my flesh or a worldview I acquired from the sinful culture around me?
Abiding in Christ means centering your mind, emotions, and will solely on Him and not letting them wander to lesser things.
The second principle Jesus gives is fruitfulness is an outcome of hearing God’s word and accepting it. You cannot hope to grow in the fruit of the Spirit if you are not growing in your knowledge of God’s word. But it is not enough just to read it: when Jesus talks about accepting the word, I think He means conforming your life to it. You can read “stay away from idols” but if you don’t actual prayerfully examine your life to see if there are idols you need to kill, then you are not fully “accepting” the word. Abiding in Christ and accepting His words are ways you can grow in your fruitfulness.
A Question for Reflection
Can you honestly say you are more Christlike this December than you were last December?
I love the end of the year because it is a time for reflection. In particular, there is no better time to take stock of where you are spiritually. And so looking back over the past year, have you grown in godliness? Do you better imitate and reflect Christ now than you did December 1, 2020? These are tough questions, and I don’t think with our limited knowledge we can answer them exhaustively. But there are barometers God gives us in His word that you and I can use to examine our lives.
As I discussed above, the fruit of the Spirit is one of the ways you can examine your life this past year. But there are others:
- Do you delight in God’s word more than you did last year?
- Is Christ and His sacrifice more precious to you?
- Do you love the local body God has put you in with a greater affection?
- Have you become more generous and loving with the resources God has given you to steward (money, time, house, etc.)?
There are of course dozens of further questions you can ask. I would encourage you to spend this December reflecting back on this past year. Make time to pray, to journal, to do whatever you need to do to know if your life is trending towards greater godliness or if you need to repent of any sins that are holding you back. Then, you can prayerfully set goals for this coming year to “train yourself unto godliness.”
A Quote to Consider
There is no comfort, I find, in any enjoyment, without enjoying God, and being engaged in his service.
Jonathan Edwards in The Life and Diary of David Brainerd
A Sermon to Listen To
Joy Found Only in the Lord
A couple weeks ago my Pastor preached this very encouraging sermon on finding joy in the Lord. I personally think it was one of his best recent sermons. The message is timely, especially as we move into the holiday season into the New Year. Take some time to listen to this sermon to be reminded that you can have joy regardless of your circumstances.
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