Abide and Bear Fruit | Devotional
Do you feel the pressure? In today’s world, there is an overwhelming pressure to succeed; to “be the best version of yourself” and to live up to the expectations of being a Christian. As Christians, it’s important for us to know that our lives should reflect our faith. Nobody reaches others with the Gospel if they’re living a life of hypocrisy. But the funny thing is, as a Christian, you’re living in this paradox. Both saint (completely blameless, renewed, and made clean by Jesus) and sinner (innately drawn to the desires of the flesh and temptations of the devil.)
The outside world looks at Christians expecting us to be perfect, so we put even more pressure on ourselves to come across that way. What does that look like? Well, let’s take a look at the fruits of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23: Loving in our words and actions, joyful in all circumstances, promoters of peace, patient in waiting and working with others, always kind, pursuing what is good, faithful to God and His desires for our lives, gentle in our dealings with ourselves and others, and self-controlled, showing restraint, motivation, and dedication to the Lord.
Woof. Easier said than done, am I right? When we look at these verses in themselves, it seems like a laundry list of impossibly high standards. But if we look at the context of these verses in Galatians 5, we can see God’s heart towards us in a different light.
In verses 16-17, Paul writes:
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
We Christians are indeed led by the Spirit, yet we are susceptible to our sinful nature. This is the paradox I was talking about. We end up doing the sinful things we want to do, even though we know they are wrong. Our sinful nature leads us away from our Father as the devil seeks to keep us chained to our failure to fulfill God’s law.
But then comes verse 18:
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”
Through the Spirit living in us, we are not under the bondage of trying to please God by perfectly observing the law. God knows that our salvation is not tied to our works. Our salvation is granted by faith in Jesus alone, and his death and resurrection. He fulfilled the law in our place so that we can live freely by the Spirit, showing the evidence -or fruits- of our faith!
You see, these attributes listed in verses 22-23 are not a law to follow, but are the evidence of Christian character that is produced by the Holy Spirit Himself. Try as we may to produce these fruits in our own life through hard work and following the law perfectly, it is the Holy Spirit living within us and working through us that produces faith and Christian virtues in our lives. Pressure’s off!
When we walk in a way that is worthy of the Lord and delight ourselves in the things that delight God, He will produce these good fruits as evidence of faith in our lives. Let’s fully rely on Him as we strive to live our lives in a way that genuinely shows Jesus to everyone we meet!
By writing these devotions, it is my hope that the Lord will use my words to stir your faith and inspire you to live it out wherever you may be. However, His Words are more powerful than mine ever could be.
For further reading and personal study, consider these verses: Galatians 5:16-26 | Colossians 1:9-14 | Matthew 7:15-20 | John 15:1-27
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
We must remember that we cannot bear fruit without Jesus. Why? "I am the true vine... Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John 15:1-27). This tells us that Jesus is the source of all life. Live for Him!
Fruit of the Spirit Digital Download available on the HU Shop!
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