Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Abiding Bears Fruit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
Ever since I first read these Bible verses many years ago, I’ve had a bit of a fascination with the fruit of the Spirit. That is what I want my life to look like. But I don’t always succeed.
For many years I have wondered why I wasn’t improving in this area. Then the verses in John 15:4-5 clicked.
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. – Jesus
We need to surrender to Jesus to produce the good fruit in our lives. Abiding in Him is key.
However, I believe we need to make an effort too. We can’t just say, “Oh well, I will do whatever I want. Jesus will have to take up my slack.”
Walking with the Spirit doesn’t work that way. We lean on Him daily, and He shows us the way to go. We have to keep our hearts open to His lead.
I am currently reading a devotional on the fruit of the Spirit called Making God Smile by Kim Taylor Henry. One entry that I read recently brought up a powerful question – “What story do I want my life to tell?”
When we live with that question in mind, this will help us to live out our lives differently. We will walk in love. We will be faithful in all areas of our lives. We will be patient and kind to those around us. Joy and peace will overflow. Goodness, gentleness, and self-control will be evident in our hearts.
I have also found that praying about our emotions and the fruit of the Spirit helps open a door. Prayer has a miraculous way of changing our hearts. And when we pray about our attitudes and how we live our lives, we are more receptive to allowing Jesus to live through us.
It’s not always easy, especially when we try to live this way in our own strength. Having a relationship with Jesus and spending time with Him daily is key.
Sometimes our spiritual growth might seem slow to our human eyes. But the Lord is patient with us. He knows where we are and where we are going. Jesus walked this earth, which means He knows firsthand how the enemy will feed us lies to steer us off track. But Jesus is our constant companion. He wants to see us succeed and He will help us grow.
And as long as we are on this earth, God will mold us to become more like His Son. That is something to be thankful for. Let us learn to surrender to Him. Let us remember that abiding in Him is a daily commitment. Then we will see the good fruit produced in our lives.
When facing difficult situations and asking ourselves, “What story do I want my life to tell?” – it becomes easier to choose the fruitful path.
Since we celebrated Valentine’s Day this week, and since love is one of the fruit of the Spirit, I also wanted to share an inspiring post called Leave Noticeable Marks of His Love, written by Maxine over at heavensreef.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a blessed weekend.
© 2018-2024 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Bridget A. Thomas 
When I studied the fruit of the spirit- I remember feeling so overwhelmed with how can I ever live out all that Galatians 5 talks about. And I realised that the best thing to do is to focus on Abiding in Him. You are so on point here with where our focus should be as that is the only way transformation happens which is evident in the fruit we exhibit.
Blessings my friend 💙
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Manu, I agree. It does feel overwhelming, especially when we try to pursue this way of living in our own strength. I really like this reminder that you said, “the best thing to do is to focus on Abiding in Him.” So true! What a gift that the Lord shows us exactly what we need to do. I’m so thankful for Jesus and that we can rely on Him. 🙌🙏 And by the way, I loved your study on the fruit of the Spirit from a couple of years ago. It was truly inspiring. And I’m looking forward to your study on Galatians and when you get to these verses. ♥️ Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Manu. Blessings to you too, my friend! 🤗
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I agree, the fruit of the Spirit is fascinating. And I think you made a great point when you mentioned that, “abiding in Him is a daily commitment.” This is a key factor in seeing a change in our lives and in our attitudes. Abiding in Jesus daily will also strengthen our relationships. We can’t become more like Him if we’re not abiding with Him daily. Hope your eyes are coming along well. 💕💐
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You said that perfectly, Dawn. I’m trying to remember each morning to surrender to the Lord. That helps to keep my focus on Jesus and abiding in Him, no matter what comes my way. And thank you – my eyes are doing well. I am still doing eye drops. I will go back this week for a check up. Thank you for asking. I hope you are doing well. And I hope you have a lovely weekend. ♥️
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I’m doing well, thanks! Hope your appointment goes smoothly.
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I’m glad you are doing well! And thank you for the well wishes on my appointment! ♥️
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Beautifully written!
“I believe we need to make an effort too. We can’t just say, “Oh well, I will do whatever I want. Jesus will have to take up my slack.”” <~ so true! He will use whatever we offer, why not give it our all? We are to offer our life as a living sacrifice, living for the Lord.
Thanks for sharing 🤗
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I like the way you put that – “give it our all!” So true! We have a choice every day. May we choose wisely! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Summer. I hope you are enjoying your weekend 🤗
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I like the connection God gave you between Galatians 5.22, 23 and John 15:4-5! So perfect.
And yes, sometimes abiding is resting in God’s arms; but sometimes it’s ‘working out our own salvation,’ so to speak, by wrestling with the enemy, serving others, studying Scripture, and spreading His Word and goodness.
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I’m so glad we have Jesus to lead us down the best path each day. I don’t know how anyone lives without Him! ✝️🙌
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of all the spiritual keys given to us in scripture…abiding has to be a “master key” for being continuously close to the Lord.
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I like the way you put that and I absolutely agree! I wish I would have mastered it by now. But I’m thankful Jesus doesn’t give up on us and each day we have a fresh opportunity to learn to surrender and abide in Him.
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Taking time to be with Jesus helps me to abide in him.
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Such a good point. Dawn had a post in December called “Just Show Up.” It reminds me that when we do our part to spend time with Him daily, He will help us grow. Thank you for stopping by, big brother! 😊
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I’d never made the obvious connection between Galatians 5 and John 15, until now, Bridget. The key to spiritual fruit bearing is abiding in Christ! Now, as you say, consistently doing this is a discipline we must engage in over a lifetime. The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross provides a short cut to God, but abiding in Christ is not short-cut-able. Not a real word, but a real thing. You frequently get me to start preaching, sister! 😊🤗
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You made some good points, David. It is a discipline that lasts a lifetime. And it’s not short-cut-able. I’m so thankful that Jesus doesn’t give up on us and He continually guides us. What a loving Savior we have 🙌 Thank you, brother! I’m honored to know this post was insightful. 🤗
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While I am saved by Grace, I remind myself that my fruits are evidence of that saving. I want to be more like Him. Not an easy task to set for one’s self, but I think well worth the effort, life changing worth it.
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Such a good point that our fruit is the evidence of the grace that we were saved by. 🤔 I agree. It is not easy, but worth it. I’m so thankful that the Lord helps us get there, when we remember to surrender and abide. I need all the help I can get. And it is comforting to know that Jesus is there for us and wants to see us grow. 🙌🙏 Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Judy! ♥️♥️
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♥️
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So good!!! We should desire that our story tells and points to the fruits of the spirit!❤️
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Amen! It’s a good thing to keep in mind and help keep our hearts in the best direction ❣️
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Loving HIM in the morning starts my day……..I abide with JESUS and HE guides me and directs my path. My desire is HIS desire……..my heart becomes more like HIS. Thank you JESUS for who YOU are and YOUR word for us.
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So beautifully said, my friend! I love that. I admit some mornings it’s more of a routine for me. I’m trying to do better about opening my heart with adoration for our great Savior, instead of checking things off my list. Thank you for always sharing your heart! Your thoughts always inspire me ♥️🤗
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Yes I don’t want to take JESUS for granted…….ugh and routine does that too! May we rise and praise HIM first!!
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Amen! First thing when I open my eyes, I want to remember to thank Him! 🤍
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Your post reminded me of a song sung by Joey Feek who died from cancer a few years ago. It’s titles, Did I Do All I Could Do. Your post was a heart check. Blessings.
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Thank you, friend. I’m not familiar with the song, but I will try to find out. We all need to those heart checks. Blessings to you too ♥️
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