What is fruit of the Spirit?

The fruit of the spirit is qualities that are possessed by God’s Holy Spirit. When Christians allow the Holy Spirit into their lives, these qualities are produced. They are referred to as “fruit” because they take time to grow and can reproduce or multiply just as fruit does.

Fruit of the Spirit Bible Verse

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists the fruit as Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.

Six Developments to Produce the Fruit of the Spirit

In the story of  The Little Pot, a vessel is created by a potter and goes on a journey to discover why it was made. Eventually, it learns that the potter wants to grow fruit (strawberries) from it. The developments that happen within Little Pot mirrors steps we can each take to allow God to produce the fruit of the Spirit through us.

1. Your Unique Identity

We can be confused about our identity in today’s world. Society’s attempt at giving us a choice. For example, gender identity is now defined as something different than the sex assigned based on physical characteristics at birth.  Even though most children will label themselves as a boy or girl before their third birthday, our society has used the likes and dislikes of play, hairstyle, dress, and such characteristics to label them as different genders. In fact, if you do a google search for a gender list, you will find over 72 different types of gender that people can now claim to be. Male and female are only two.

Even if you are not confused by gender identity, there are many other ways we seek to become something. Many people find their identity in the career they choose. Just as Little Pot searched for identity in the things the potter gave it to hold, we find our identity is in the jobs we have or the roles we play. For instance, we may be a mother, a father, a nurse, an engineer. Each of these may be how we explain our own unique identity.

Before producing fruit, Little Pot discovered that it was a vessel made by the potter. If we understand that God, our potter, made us exactly the way He wanted us to be, we have developed the first step we will need for Him to use us to produce the fruit of His Spirit.

2. Humility vs Pride

Humus soil is the part of the soil that is best for growing things. Likewise, we get the word humility from the Latin word humus. So, just as Little Pot contains humus, we need to contain humility. Manure and dead things make organic matter which is in good soil. The things that make humus soil (manure and dead things) help us to be humble.

Manure:

We often describe the bad things that happen in our lives as manure (or another word that means manure). Does God allow bad things to happen to us? Why? One reason is that it makes us humble. We grow when we experience tough circumstances because we want things to get better. Likewise, we are able to help someone else who is going through rough times too.

Dead Things:

Throughout scripture God asks us to die to ourselves so that we can He can live through us. The connection is that we choose to put God above ourselves. We put others above ourselves too.  What are some things that we may need to “put to death” so Jesus can live through us?

3. Seed of God’s Word

In Matthew and Luke, after Jesus tells the parable of the sower, He states that the seed is God’s Word. We can plant God’s Word in our hearts by reading and memorizing scriptures.

4. Have Integrity

No one ever notices the stem. They never look at a plant and say, “Wow, that’s a nice stem.” They notice the leaves, the flower, and the fruit. Moreover, no one really notices our integrity. They will notice the things our integrity supports if we are trustworthy and honest. Stems provide support for the plant and hold leaves, flowers, and fruit above the ground. In addition, good integrity provides support for us too. A small crack in the stem can damage the plant. Naturally, a small crack in our integrity will keep us from growing good character. Also, Proverbs tells us that a person of integrity is straight and upright. A strong stem will grow straight and upright too.

5. Build Healthy Relationships

The leaves take light and turn it into food for the plant. A process that is known as photosynthesis. With strong integrity, we will form relationships. These relationships can ‘feed’ us with the light of Christ. Without the leaves, the plant cannot grow and bear fruit. Without strong Godly relationships, we cannot grow and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

If a leaf is no longer green and is wilted, it is not absorbing light and producing food for the plant. It can even pull the nutrients away from the part of the plant that is growing. When this happens to a leaf, it will eventually fall off the plant. In the same way, a friend or person that is not providing us with the light of Jesus may be removed from a part of our life so we can grow more fruit. It is important that we build relationships that will absorb the light of Jesus.

6. Bloom Knowledge

We can find similarities between a flower and knowledge. First, flowers create nectar that attracts bees, butterflies, and other insects. Just as our knowledge attracts others too. Secondly, pollinators are searching for nectar in the flower. As Proverbs 2:2-6 tells us, we should also search for knowledge. Another similarity is that pollen lands on the insects as they come and go. Consequently, insects leave the pollen wherever they go. Knowledge lands on us as we study, and we leave some of that knowledge wherever we go.

Next, it takes all the parts of the flower to make seeds and reproduce. Likewise, we cannot gain new knowledge on our own.  Lastly, flowers share their pollen with other flowers. Therefore, it is important to share our knowledge with others. Pollen propagates the development of the seed, and our knowledge should propagate God’s Word. Flowers pollinate during different seasons and at different times just as we each gain new knowledge and learn at our own rate.

Fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace

These are the six developments that produce fruit (Strawberries within Little Pot, and the fruit of the Spirit within us). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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