The Fruit 🍇

Posted on August 31, 2024 by

24 Comments

Years ago when my nephew, Joshua, was around two years old, my mother had artificial grapes sitting in a bowl for decoration. Joshua didn’t know these grapes were fake. They looked so real! So, he asked me if he could have some. I tried to explain to him that they weren’t real grapes, but he didn’t understand. His eyes kept looking at them with longing. Finally, he tried to stick them in his mouth and instantly made a disgusted face. Joshua still might not have understood that this fruit was artificial, but he was no longer interested in eating them!

Thinking about this story reminds me of the fruit in our own lives. As Christians, the Lord is growing the fruit of the Spirit within us.

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

Each day of our lives, God will try to shape us to become more like Jesus. But we have to allow Him to change us. It is possible to be a Christian for decades and never see much fruit growing in our lives. God won’t force us to change.

I heard a pastor say recently that we each have as much of God as we want. If we have little of the Lord in our lives, that’s how we have prioritized Him.

So how do we allow Him to grow fruit in our lives? He has to be a priority to us. We spend time with Him, reading the Bible, and in prayer. But we also have to surrender our will to His. When we are tempted to act in our old way, we have a choice to act in our new nature.

I like the way the New Living Translation puts Romans 8:12 – “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.”

We have no obligation to act in our old way. This is a great reminder that we can choose our words and actions. Even if we have been a certain way all of our lives, we don’t have to fall into that trap any longer.

To put it another way, a couple of weeks ago my friend Judy shared this quote:

The more you make the choice to live above your feelings, to trust God instead of what you may feel like doing, the stronger your faith becomes. ~ Tim Tebow

Abiding in Jesus is key. When we abide in Him, He will help us grow the fruit in our lives. But I also believe we have choices to make each day. We can choose paths that will allow Him to work in our hearts.

However, it’s also possible to have artificial fruit in our lives. Just like those fake grapes that my nephew thought were real, it might seem to others that we have an abundance of good fruit in our lives. Only God truly knows our hearts. Therefore, I believe at times it’s necessary to do a heart check. Prayerfully seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal anything that appears to be fruit, but truly is just a ball of wax.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10 ESV

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! – Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

I want the real fruit in my life. How about you? I pray we all can learn to abide in Jesus, every day. We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to keep our focus on Him. He understands our struggles. And He knows our hearts. Each day spent with Jesus should be an adventure. He brings so much joy and goodness to our lives. And as we learn to abide in Him, we will see the real fruit growing in our lives.

Thank you for reading. You all are in my prayers. If you have any specific prayer requests, please let me know. And thank you for saying a prayer for my family. God bless you!

© 2018-2024 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

Category: Seeking God

24 Comments on “The Fruit 🍇”

  1. Thank you for sharing this post with us today Bridget 🙂 How much we need to recognise God’s fruit and seek it in our daily walk with Him. God bless you richly today sister 🙏

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    • I’ve always had a little bit of an obsession with learning about the fruit of the Spirit. As a young Christian I didn’t understand why I didn’t have more fruit. But I’m so thankful that as we grow closer to Jesus, He helps us grow that fruit. He is everything to us! Thank you, Alan! God bless you too 🙏

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  2. Yours are such good thoughts, sister, and so applicable to my current walk with the Lord. “God won’t force us to change; we each have as much of God as we want.” These two statements are like book ends–with my response to the Lord in between them.
    The other day, I watched an excellent interview of the shock rock pioneer, Alice Cooper. He spoke of his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, but also of his deep Christian faith–that never completely left him. Now, he’s been sober for years and helps other addicts. Near the end of the interview he said this: “Turning your life completely over the Jesus Christ means giving up control; and many people aren’t willing to do this.”

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    • I have heard about Alice Cooper being a Christian, but I have not seen that interview. Sounds like a powerful testimony. I can definitely relate – to your words and to Alice’s words. Handing everything over to God can be a struggle. And it might be something we have to keep doing. But I’m so thankful He doesn’t give up on us. And there are no better hands to place our trust. Thank you, David! Your words always bring me encouragement!

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  3. We each have as much of God as we want. If we have little of the Lord in our lives, that’s how we have prioritized Him – that is so good. I pray that we abide in Him and continue to grow so that the fruit of the spirit is evident in our lives.

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    • The pastor’s words really struck me, as well! It sure made me think. I’ve really been holding on to the thought of abiding in Jesus and His presence lately. I feel there’s a lot we can learn there, throughout the different seasons we walk through. And I’m so thankful that as we do abide in Him, He continues to grow that good fruit in us.

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  4. I love-“we have as much of God as we want” It may feel convicting but it is also a wonderful truth with promise. We can always experience more of God in our lives.

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    • Such a great point! I’m so thankful that Jesus keeps His arms open. He never gives up on us. And as we learn to keep our eyes on Him, He will help us grow even more closer to Him. What a priceless gift we have in Jesus!

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  6. “God won’t force us to change.”
    God gave us free will generously out of love for us so that we can make a choice on what we do – what we do with what He’s given us and when we surrender and how we allow Him to use us. He didn’t have to give us free will or choices, but even with His sovereignty, He gives us this. What we do matters.
    Thanks for sharing!! I’m sure those grapes were awful 😂
    Have a great weekend!

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    • Such a good point, Summer! God loves for us means He allows us to choose. Every day we can choose Him. As you said, “What we do matters.” I’m so grateful for His unfailing love. As we keep our eyes on Him and His goodness, we see that choosing Him is always the best choice! 🙌
      Haha! My nephew sure learned to steer clear after that! 😂
      I hope you have a great weekend too! 📚

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  7. A good reminder to ask God to help us see the faults in ourselves and help us overcome. What a gorgeous picture from the best artist.

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  8. The idea that we have as much of God as we choose to seek is a profound one. It challenges us to examine our priorities and ensure that we are not just going through the motions but genuinely seeking to grow in Him. I agree that abiding in Jesus is crucial for producing genuine fruit in our lives, and it’s through daily choices and surrender that we allow His work to be evident in us.

    Your mention of the heart check is particularly meaningful. It’s a good practice to ask God to search our hearts and reveal any areas where we might be presenting artificial fruit. Psalm 51:10 and Psalm 139:23-24 are wonderful prayers for this purpose, helping us stay aligned with God’s will and genuinely reflect His character.

    Thank you for your Prayers and your offer to Pray for others, my family and I can surely use the Prayers.

    Be Blessed and Continue to be a Blessing.

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    • Hi Willie! Thank you for your comment. You touched on all the points that really spoke to me too. When I write my posts, I am “preaching” to myself as well! I think if we could get to a point of truly abiding in Jesus at all times, it would change so much in our lives. Yes I will definitely keep you and your family on my prayer list. God bless you too!

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      • Amen 🙏🤗 Most of my writings are prayers. I sit down to pray and wait for God’s response. I’ve learned to keep a pen and paper handy during my prayers, so I can jot down the Lord’s replies. Many of my writings come from these divine responses.

        God Bless you today and always.

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  10. we so need this fruit, the fruit we often use in its place just isn’t what we need. That’s something I need to work on. What things are making me not turn to God and praise him more. Thank you so much for helping me think about this. ❤️

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    • I am with you 100%! I believe often times it’s just that life and whatever is in front of us tends to take our time and attention. I hope we both can learn to work on this! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🤗♥️

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