Fruitful Lush

Abundant. Rich. Flourishing. Blossoming.

They sound bounteous and fruiting.

And we want that. We want our lives to spring life every day. We want our lives to be nurtured well so that good fruit can be borne. We want to have that fruit across all areas of our lives.

It's a great thing we can have: to be fruitful in our lives.  

For that to happen, we should have the right Source to nourish us for this growth. It enables us to abide by the nutrition we need to bear our desired fruit.

And to live that fruitful life, we know One who can give us that. It's no other but God. But why do we need to cling to Him to have fruitful lives?

Living a fruitful life is growing in God.

Growing in Him is remaining in Him. Through Him, we can bear fruit. Growing apart from Him keeps us from doing so. If we don't bear fruit, we're like a branch cut off, picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. And it's scary if we stay this way. We're meant to go and bear fruit as it glorifies Him. 

Living a fruitful life is freedom in God.

Freedom in Him means being held in His hands as He works in us to live the fruitful lives He wants us to. Through the Cross, we are freed. We are loved, accepted, and blessed.

There's no need to be enslaved and entangled in things that keep us in this freedom. There's no need to make an effort to gain the acceptance and approval of God or even earn His love. His grace is enough for us to be free in coming to Him, loving Him, following Him, and living for Him.

Living a fruitful life is finding life in God.
There's no need for any list of dos and don'ts we need to strictly adhere to. Doing so with our effort drains us of our joy, strength, and peace. Life in God is living our lives out of our love for Him. Love should guide us in what we do. It should enable us to love and serve God and others fully.

With this, living a fruitful life is to be guided rightly. We allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. If we don't want to follow the desires of our sinful nature, then we should allow Him to direct us. As far as life goes, these opposing forces battle each other. And we need to fight for what brings life to us.

We allow the Spirit to counsel, guide, help, comfort, and energize us to love and obey the Lord. We welcome things that bring life to our relationship with Him.

So, to live fruitful lives, we should bear the fruit of such. But what is this fruit?

It's a different kind of fruit, as it bears a lot. It's a fruit that bears love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

While these may be a lot, we can have them all. It's because of this greatest virtue: love. If we know how to love, the rest will follow. And these matter in our relationship with God, others, and ourselves.

Our spiritual fruit needs to be developed to be the most edible one to be tasted. And like any fruit, it grows over time. It's a God-orchestrated process. In the season, the tree springs this fruit. But during the off seasons, the tree may appear dead, but it's merely dormant. Life is still there. The dormant season will surely pass, and the tree returns to bear fruit again. We have the Holy Spirit to help us grow this fruit. We just have to trust His working.

Find these virtues in you, as they're a great fit to clothe yourself with:

love 
It can always be shown in practical ways to the people around us. And there are a lot of them. Seek it. Pursue it.

joy 
Whatever circumstances we face, we take it as joy. It builds perseverance for growth. Always do.

peace
It's a choice. It takes consistent practice to live in it. We need to find peace in God first. In doing this, we can be at peace with ourselves and others.

patience
Good things and beautiful things happen in perfect timing. We just have to patiently trust, flow, and surrender. Grace and patience are keys to situations that bring these to us. 

kindness

It starts with care, tenderheartedness, and compassion. And it's all done in action. Even small acts can make a life-changing experience.

goodness

This is where our virtue speaks out. We excel in our character. And it should show inside out. It feels empty when we do things without a good heart.

faithfulness

It comes from a place of trust, loyalty, and reliability. It should influence us in what we do and with whom we connect. We can do this because we have a God who has been that ever since.

gentleness

It's being tender or mild-mannered. It makes a softened heart that abides in peace. Let it be evident to all. Keep it from any distraction or disturbance that robs it.

self-control

It's the consistent effort to resist the temptation of returning to our old ways. It's continuing to the new life we have in Christ. It takes this to produce these virtues.

Having these virtues and possessing them increasingly makes us effective and productive in all we do. If this encourages us greatly, how much more can we become? And if we do this, our confidence in Christ will grow, and we become more and more like who He created us to be.

When we have that flow in us to become fruitful, we can share this with others to bring that growth in them.

Living fruitfully is living the lives that bring out the good in us but also in others. It brings the mark of godliness in what we think, say, and do. May we all live fruitfully and be lead rightly to it.