I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
I love this picture of what the Lord desires for our relationship with Him. He wants us to be as closely connected to Him as a branch is attached to the vine.
The Lord calls us to a relationship with Himself as our source of spiritual life. He desires us to “bear fruit.” What is the fruit that will be evident in our life as we are connected to Him? In Galatians 5:22 we find a list of the fruit of the Spirit:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
One Bible teacher defined self-control as “Self under the control of the Holy Spirit.” I especially like that definition! Instead of just gritting my teeth to control myself and my attitudes or my words, I can depend on the Holy Spirit and trust Him to produce in me whatever is needed at the moment.
As followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, and He produces these attributes in us. But it doesn’t happen immediately or automatically. It is a growth process that begins when we are born again and then continues throughout our life. We can’t just try harder on our own to produce this fruit of the Spirit. The fruit will be produced as we stay connected to Him.
How do we do that? Our relationship with Him grows stronger as we spend time with Him in prayer, studying His Word, and responding to His teaching. Bearing fruit requires a choice on our part to stay connected to Him, cooperating with Holy Spirit as we trust, obey, and depend on Him moment by moment throughout each day.
A branch no longer attached to the vine will wither and die because it has lost its source of nutrients necessary for life. If we turn away from God, refuse to listen and obey, our spiritual life will suffer. If we stay connected to Him, He works in us to fulfill His purpose for our life. As we seek Him and His will, we gain a sense of His pleasure and the fulfillment of meaning and purpose. Our lives will show evidence of the fruit He desires to produce in us. He will use us to encourage others in their walk with Him.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Look again at the above list of the Fruit of the Spirit. Do you see evidence of this fruit in your life?
Ask the Lord to show you what needs to change in your life to bring about the fruit that He desires.
What steps will you take to be obedient to what He has shown you?
What a special word of encouragement! I have a part (proactive), and God has a part (reactive). We are in this project of life together… 🙂
I love how you explain this in concrete terms. Self under control of the Holy Spirit! So often we use Christian lingo, even quoting from Scripture, but we don’t explain what it really means so that a baby Christian can understand it. And I think those of us who are mature Christians often don’t understand it either. Thank you, Sherrilyn, for being so practical in your teaching.
Ahhh… Oh, Sherrilyn, so simple yet profound for life with Christ. Thank you for sharing. You continue to bless and inspire me with your words and friendship!! Love you!
That definition of self control is so helpful—clear!
Thanks!
So good!!!!
Thank you Sherrilyn.