But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Can I say that I really want to see a little more of this fruit of gentleness in my life as a wife and mother? I think I can. In fact, I'd like to see more fruit in all of these above things in my day in day out living.
I want to respond to the people I love with patience and gentleness. I want to be faithful in all that God has entrusted to me, even when it is an inconvenience. Even when it hurts. I want to have self control in small and large issues. I want to learn to love the unlovable more than I do. I want to be kind and full of joy, even on difficult days.
While this seems like a long list of things, Jesus has told us plainly how to see these fruits in abundance in our lives.
John 15:1-5
"I am the true vine and My Father is the vine dresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing."
The fruit bearing comes forth in the abiding. When I live my life abiding in Jesus I find that these fruits come forth without much effort or notice. When there is abiding going on, I am remembering Jesus, my first love. My eyes are on Him-dwelling on His goodness and basking in His presence. I don't have to work hard to be good enough or measure up. When I'm abiding, I want to do what pleases my Father, and I want to show others the same love, mercy and kindness He continues to pour out on me every day.
There is something crazy I have noticed that comes to pass in my life when I find myself unfocused on truly abiding with Christ. That crazy thing is, I see less and less of these fruits of the spirit, listed above, coming out in my life. I find myself shorter and easily agitated with things that usually don't bother me at all. I find myself easily angered and irritable. There is a snow-ball effect that takes place when this Jesus focus gets off within me. I also suddenly become overwhelmed with day in day out tasks, feeling like I can never get anything done.
When I choose to surrender my life to Jesus and walk by faith, He will call me to do things that are totally outside of myself. He will call me to be completely dependent on Him to live out these things with victory. So guess what happens when I get my focus off? I feel totally incapable and in over my head. There's no shame in that! That's because I AM in over my head without Jesus working through me. When I am dependent on Jesus, abiding in Him-the True Vine, I have all of the nourishment, all of the recourses and everything that I will EVER need flowing from Him to me. It's pretty amazing really. There is absolutely no lack in the vine. That's because God's recourses and God's abilities are endless. They are boundless. When I trust Him by faith, I am not counting on my own intellect, energy, money or physical limitations anymore. I'm stepping into Him- and He has it all.
So why would I attempt life and anything at all without my Savior? Why, when He desires to give me everything I need to bear beautiful fruit that I could never possibly bear on my own? And it's all available in Him, the True Vine.
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