cultivate the fruit

Spring is on the way and the weather is changing. It is beautiful. Plants go in the ground and begin to grow.  We look forward to the fruit that the plants will bring forth. There may be some good fruit that grows, but to really bear fruit, a plant needs to be tended and cultivated. My mother was always good at growing plants and making sure they were trimmed, fed, nourished and placed in the right amount of sunlight. She put a lot of effort into her plants.

 

Galatians 5:22-23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

This also goes with our spiritual fruit. We have spiritual fruit that comes from God, but it is not able to develop and grow if we do not cultivate it. Our fruit will not be good or effective if we have not spent some time allowing God to cultivate his fruit in us with reading the word, prayer, Bible study, and even some fasting.

 

Luke 13:6-9

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

 

Jesus gave this parable. This parable demonstrated this principle that if fruit is not growing, we need to tend and feed the fruit.  If that fruit does not grow, we risk being cut down as we are not useful or fruitful.

 

John 15: 1-8

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

⁵ 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.

⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Jesus explained that we are to be connected to him, the vine. We will bear fruit when we stay connected to him. We must abide in him.  Abide means to remain stable or fixed in a state, or to continue in a place. We continue in him, we are stable in him.  If we do not cultivate our fruit by remaining close to him with stability, our fruit cannot grow.

 

Psalms 92:13-15

¹³ Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

¹⁵ To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

 

God wants us planted and firm in him to flourish. We become a demonstration of how he provides for us, and how he holds us up. He is our foundation. He is able to to sustain us and bring forth the good fruit in us.

 

Ezekiel 18:8

⁸ It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

 

Without cultivation and care, our fruit will not flourish and become good as God wants for us. We can only flourish when we are tending to our relationship with God. God will plant us, cultivate us and care for us when we are planted firmly on the foundation of His word and spend time in prayer and communication with God. Listening for His voice, knowing His voice, and responding to His voice will give us the direction we need to grow strong and fruitful.

 

We are the vine that needs to bring forth the fruit and God is the gardener that will tend to our fruit. We must submit to him as he works on us, prunes and trims us and teaches us how to bear fruit. He will make us fruitful and multiply our fruit greater than we ever can on our own. We must choose to be submitted to his care.