Galatians 5. “Walk by the Spirit… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal 5:16,22) When we are adopted into God’s family, we are given his Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer produces this cluster of virtues listed in Galatians 5, typically called the fruit of the Spirit. The presence of this fruit gives evidence that a person belongs to the family of God’s kingdom. It is difficult for us to consistently produce this kind of fruit on our own efforts, the self is too strong. So, we continually crucify or surrender our self to Christ (Gal 2:20) and allow the Holy Spirit to work within us and produce this kind of fruit character.

I don’t know how much you know about fruit trees, but a couple of things stand out to me. For one, when you plant a fruit tree, my experience is that is does not usually bear fruit the first year (or even for a couple of years). Producing fruit takes time! Also, young fruit trees often need to be protected with some kind of chicken wire or something to keep lawn mowers and animals from damaging it. Sometimes juvenile trees need to be propped up or tied to a stake, so they grow upright and strong. But a healthy fruit tree will grow, and that growth is evident to anyone paying close attention.

The same is true of new members of God’s kingdom family. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in their hearts, but they may need some guidance and protection while they are young in the faith, so that they grow upright and strong. All the fruit of the Spirit are not immediately evident in a new believer’s life, but they clearly show signs of growth. Eventually the fruit will appear and be evident to all. Through the Holy Spirit a believer is focused on serving one another in love and loving his neighbor as himself (Gal 5:13-15).

The fruit tree analogy helps us understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “The works of the flesh are evident… [insert long list]… I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21). If a person continues in these worldly, destructive practices they are simply showing evidence that they are not walking with the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives (Gal 5:16).

 Jesus made this same point. “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18). The status of our souls is eventually evident in what kind of fruit our lives produce.

What kind of fruit is your life producing? Is the work of the Holy Spirit evident? Which of these fruits would you like to see more of – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? Ask the Lord to help you grow in that area.

What stood out to you in Galatians 5?