The Tree of the Fruit of the Spirit

If I had to take a guess as to what the wood of the very cross Jesus died on I would say it had to come from a fruit tree. A big strong tree planted in the garden of Eden, deep rooted on the edge of the stream of living water with leaves that don't weather while bearing succulent fruit in season. A tree nurtured by the very character of Jesus growing in our lives as we prosper within Him.

The fruit tree rests in the garden of Eden, a place governed by Jesus, where we walk with Him in conversation totally reliant on Him for everything we need. To bear the Fruit of the Spirit in everything we do, submitting moment by moment to His Holy Spirit while we devour and are nourished by the very fruit of His Words. It's then that we are able to share the same succulent fruit with others in our life.

As a disciple of Jesus He explicitly told me in John 15 that apart from Him I'm unable to produce any kingdom fruit. So, it came to me one day that if I'm to follow Him there must be a moral code, a way to live by. Moses brought the Israelites the ten commandments. Then at Pentecost Jesus left us the Fruit of His Spirit where we no longer had to live by just a law written on tablets now we have His Spirit to our counsel and guide us on the journey of life.

The Apostle Paul talks about the Fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians as he speaks to the church. He shows us that through the Fruit of the Spirit we can live as redeemed children of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience(longsuffering), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV 

Are we listening and better yet are we learning?

What is the Fruit of the Spirit? If you’re a student of God’s Word, you have heard the phrase "The Fruit of the Spirit” many times. It’s a term Paul uses when He chastises' the Galatian church after they have been led astray from the Gospel of Christ and revert back to the Law of Moses. As Paul explains we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, Paul brings in the Fruit of the Spirit which is how we are to live as redeemed children of God according to His will not ours.

How do we learn God’s will? Jesus fulfilled God’s law on our behalf when He died on the cross and He lives in us through His Holy Spirit. When we live by the Fruit of the Spirit, we are people of love, which fulfills God’s commandment, His will to love others as ourselves, especially our enemies'. To walk in the Spirit means that the Jesus lives in us putting our life in the continual presence with Him.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5 NKJV 

As a child of God Jesus shapes our life around the counsel and leadership of His Holy Spirit. Someone who walks in the Spirit patterns his or her life after Jesus Christ. The opposite of walking in the fruit of the spirit is following the fleshly desires that are second nature to us as human beings.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 

Paul references fruit in the singular, meaning they all come together to produce a single fruit(purpose). So when we incorporate each of the nine fruits into our life, we are living out our objective as Christians. That objective is to follow God’s will for our life. This again fulfills God’s commandment to love others as ourselves.

Why is fruit important? If you look at the last half of verse 23 of Galatians 5 of our key scriptures, it says “against such there is no law.” This means that when you live by the Fruit of the Spirit, there is no need for the law. Now this is not the governing laws of our country (which we should obey), but the law of Moses that was nailed to the tree when Jesus died for our sins. Jesus replaced that law.

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:25-26

There are nine attributes or characteristics that are included in the Fruit of the Spirit. They are called characteristics because they become traits of the one who follows Jesus in their life. And they are called fruit because they’re a product of the tree that they grow from, in this case, Jesus.

• Love

• Joy

• Peace

• Patience(longsuffering)

• Kindness

• Goodness

• Faithfulness

• Gentleness

• Self-control

LOVE is the very first attribute.

“We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 

It’s important to note that there isn’t a single word out of place in God’s Word. I think it’s no accident that love comes first in Galatians 5:22. When we fulfill God's commandment to love Him first and then everybody else as ourselves we are living out the whole Gospel of Christ. Here are two versus that offer some insight:

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
I Corinthians 13:1-3 

JOY is a belief of the heart. It’s an internal emotion that never changes regardless of your situation. Joy is a settled contentment that comes from God, a God of Joy is always present to you with joy. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Whereas happiness can come and go, joy can abide internally because we have the love of Christ. And it does not change when times get tough. But as you’ll see from the following scriptures, joy comes from the Lord and is forever.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

"Rejoice always" 1 Thessalonians 5:16 

PEACE is tranquility in all circumstance. It's not to do with the absence of war, it's the presence of God in everything, more than a mindset that everything is calm and peaceful. It's the peace of God that passes all understanding. We can have peace in our hearts because we know that God is all-powerful and everything is under his control. When worldwide crisis or health issue arise in our lives it's not anger but the understanding that we have no control over them.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 

PATIENCE is the ability to endure suffering in spite of whatever is going on. It's to be patient through our trials and especially when others hurt us as we find forgiveness. Just as Christ forgave us we have the free will to be patient and forgiving of others.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:12-13 

KINDNESS brings us closer to Jesus and the more you heed to the Holy Spirit, our love will grow. Kindness is a natural byproduct of love.

What is kindness? The definition can be found in the following scripture as the Apostle Paul addresses the Philippians. But basically, kindness refers to treating everyone that you meet with love and respect. It means putting their needs above your own.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:3-4 

Kindness was originated by God. The ultimate act of love and kindness was shown by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross at Calvary. Jesus paid for our sins. And by offering the free gift of salvation to all who would accept His gift of kindness, we have the assurance of eternal life together with Him in Heaven.

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Psalm 25:6 

But we’re not kind because someone deserves it. We are kind to serve others. Our job is to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

GOODNESS is generosity. So what are we talking about here. We aren’t talking about just generosity in the sense of money, but with every single thing. Jesus is our best example of what generosity looks like. Jesus didn’t have much money. But He was the most generous person who ever lived. He gave of His time, his heart and His talents. He listened, He healed, He taught, He led others and the He gave His life for all of mankind.

So how can we show the kind of generosity that Jesus did? When we live by the Fruit of the Spirit, everything we do is because we have the love of Jesus in us. Remember that everything that we own is first owned by God. So sure, give generously financially. But give your time to those who need someone to talk to. Make meals for those who are sick. Where you see a need, fill it. Most of all, be generous in sharing the Gospel. Because that is the greatest need of all.

FAIHFULLNESS is a complete belief and confidence in God and all of His promises. It is so important to allow God and the teachings of Jesus to shape everything that we do. The fruit of faithfulness speaks to not only faithfulness to God, but being faithful to the people around us as well. When we are reliable, others can count on us. Sometimes when we think about faithfulness we think in terms of marriage, but it is in any type of relationship.

By putting your faith in God and letting the Holy Spirit guide you, you will prove your faithfulness to Him in everything that you do. Total faithfulness is more than just reliability. It is a total commitment to God that goes far beyond human reasoning. When others look at you, where do they see your level of faith? That’s a good question to really work on.

GENTLENESS is the opposite of pushiness or assertiveness that is encouraged in today’s world. It is meekness, humility. Jesus described himself as meek and lowly in the verse below. That is the perfect definition of gentleness.

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29 

What is your approach to the harsh and argumentative state of the world. Do you react with abrasiveness? Or do you respond with the humble, meek and lowly style that Jesus does? It’s definitely easier to fight back. But when you allow the Holy Spirit to flow through you, your responses will be of love for Jesus and everybody else. God wants us to show gentleness to everyone in the same way that Jesus showed to the woman who was caught in adultery. He didn’t accuse her or cast the first stone. Instead, He forgave her and showed her a better way. We need to approach others with that kind of gentleness.

"When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." John 8:10-11 

SELF-CONTROL speaks to resisting the ways of the world and living a Godly life. It means that we are living by the Fruit of the Spirit instead of the works of the flesh. It takes self control to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and live by love for others. This doesn’t mean love as the world loves, but the agape love of Jesus.

It takes self-control to live by the Fruit of the Spirit. Is love an act versus a felling? Do you feel joy when you’re faced with a life-threatening illness? Do you approach strife in a peaceful manner? Are you patient especially when your suffering? Do you kindly put the needs of others before you own? Do you show generosity when you have a friend who is going through a tough time and needs a friend to listen? Do you hold onto your faith in the face of a world crisis or battle with a health issue? Are you a humble, meek and gentle servant of Jesus, showing love and compassion in every way? All of these things take self-control. And we know that it doesn’t come naturally to us. It is only by allowing that Holy Spirit to connect our branch to the vine that is Jesus Christ.

We can't grow fruit apart from God. If we live by the fruit of the spirit, we are cultivated by the Spirit not by our own self-help. We learn how be dependent on God to cultivate our bad habits into new ones. Through His Spirit, Jesus transforms us into people who love God and others.

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:25 

Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit means that we constantly open and discerning to Gods Spirit keeping our sights on our Lord. We have to be diligent in prayer, studying His Word, attending worship services and fellowshipping with other Christians. We have to nurture our relationship with the Lord daily making it the priority of our lives.

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead  But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds.” James 2:17-18 

Please understand that works, alone, do not save you. Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior by grace through faith is what saves you. But once you’re saved, that Holy Spirit starts working in you to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. Show that fruit, every day, as often as you can. That is how you demonstrate your faith. No self-improvement book will ever do what Jesus does. Start with reading the blog "How To Get Off The Tread Mill of Self-Improvement"

I would like to also challenge you to match the specific fruit in my painting above to the scripture to grow a Spiritual Fruit Tree deep rooted in scripture that lasts for eternity. Also, here is a sermon on the Introduction to the Fruits of the Spirit along with a daily prayer.

Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you. Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Related: Fruit of the Spirit for Kids