Are You Dead or Producing Fruit?

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-24

Picture this with me. A fruit producing tree, except the fruit growing is not fruit you eat. It is a kind of fruit you live out, act out. It is a variety fruit tree; there is fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Imagine being able to go up to that tree and pick each one of those fruits.                                                

                                                                                           

Would you pick certain ones or would you pick all of them? Here is the deal. You don’t have a choice if the Holy Spirit lives within you. If He doesn't live within you, well, then this fruit is completely foreign to you.

So let me ask you this…

Are these fruits visible in your life?

Is Jesus Lord of your life?

If so then you are a part of Christ’s fruit producing tree, which means the Holy Spirit is producing all 9 types of fruit in you.

He is the one that makes them visible; He is the one in control.

“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us.” Galatians 5:22

Christ says, “I will produce this fruit in you?”

Love

JOY

PEACE

PATIENCE

KINDNESS

GOODNESS

GENTLENESS

FAITHFULNESS

SELF-CONTROL

So where do you go from here? Begin by understanding you canNOT produce these fruits on your own. It is not in your makeup to do so. But it is in Christ’s makeup.

So the more you become like Him, the more of these fruits you will produce.

Maybe a good evaluation for us is to see what things we produce more.

Evil or Fruit

I know what you are thinking. I don’t produce evil. I think it too, but the more you see what Christ defines as evil the more your eyes are open and the more you realize just how much evil you do, have, or had produced.

Things that are evil-

Sexual immorality

Impure thoughts

Eagerness for lustful pleasure

Idolatry

Participation in demonic activity

Hostility

Quarreling

Jealousy

Outbursts of anger

Selfish Ambition

Divisions

The feeling everyone is wrong except those in your own little group

Envy

Drunkenness

Wild parties

Go back and place a check by the ones that have been produced in you. Stinks I know!

So what does a tree look like that produces these things?

A dead one!

Are you dead or producing fruit?