Growing Spiritual Fruit

 

     Jesus loves you. Are you ready to cultivate the soil of your heart in preparation to plant the seeds of His love story into good soil? Finally, on this Friday, the parable of the farmer gives us hope for a harvest. Not all of the seed is scattered, or planted in shallow ground, or is choked out by the thorns of the world. There is hope for us after all!

“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Mark 4:8

“Others like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop-some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:20

     When the word of God enters, grows and is lived out, there will be an abundance of good fruit. Our hearts will have their own seeds to share and those seeds can multiply over and over again. Jesus tells us that others will recognize us by our fruit. (see Matthew 7) Maybe you know Jesus through the fruit of others around you. Do you recognize this fruit in your life or in the life of others? I want that seed to grow and multiply in me one hundred times over before I meet Jesus face-to-face.

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 5:22-23

     Notice the fruit listed first? It is love. All of the other fruit comes from receiving the love of Christ and acting on it. Good soil, good seed, good God. Maybe we can spread some of that good seed around.

Dear Jesus,

Let the love we show others come directly from You. We can’t do it on our own strength. Let the fruit of our lives be recognized by others, so they may know we belong to You. You make us unique and unusual in a dark world.

Amen