Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit

The following is an excerpt from my book Abiding in the Vine that teaches about cultivating the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Now I want to turn our attention to the fruit of the Spirit. What is the difference between the gifts and fruit of the Spirit? I would put it this way: the gifts are given to express God’s power while the fruit are developed to express God’s character. While a gift can be received instantly, fruit takes time to cultivate and grow in us.

It is important for us to value both the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. Some people want to put them against each other as if when you pursue one you will neglect the other. This is not what the Bible teaches. “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1). The apostle Paul is saying here that we should be going after both fruit and gifts, power and character. With that in mind, let us look at Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25:

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

This passage describes a battle that is going on between the sinful nature (the flesh) and the Holy Spirit who lives inside of the believer. Before being born again, we would just give into the desires of the flesh, but after salvation there is a battle that begins to take place. Now we desire to follow the Lord and walk in His ways. Now we have the Holy Spirit in us who is developing His fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We can actually possess these character traits because God’s Spirit lives in us and He is producing them in us. The key is living in the reality that our sinful nature is crucified and walking in the Spirit. As we abide in the Vine, this fruit will begin to develop and grow in our lives (see John 15:1-8).

The fruit of the Spirit that is produced in us is not for ourselves but for others. It is not the tree who enjoys its fruit but those who pick from it and eat of it. In the same way, when we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we become a blessing to those around us. They come and eat of the fruit that is being produced in our lives and are nourished.

Let us seek to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Let us abide in Christ so that His fruit will be produced in our lives and His nature displayed to the world.

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Abiding in the Vine is a collection of 40 devotional writings that are meant to feed your spirit and draw you closer to God. Rich with the Word of God and insights into the Spirit-filled life, each reflection will bring understanding and encouragement, as well as challenge you to go deeper in your walk with Christ.