But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV)

How do you get spiritual fruit? The answer is simple. It’s so simple that we sometimes forget the how and, instead, do just about everything except what’s needed.

The answer? Abide in Jesus. Jesus said,

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4 NKJV)

We must abide in Jesus if we want to bear spiritual fruit. There’s no other way. There isn’t a shortcut. You can’t pick it up at the store. You know,

Hey, did you hear? They’re having a sale on patience.

 

That’s great. I need some of that. Would you pick up some for me? And while you’re there, would you get me some kindness too?

But that’s not an option. There’s only one way to get spiritual fruit. And that’s by abiding in Jesus.

So, how do you abide? The word abide means to stay put, be present, or remain. Abiding in Jesus is an intentional decision to stay close to Jesus. It’s a choice to fix your mind on Him throughout your day.

Here are some examples of abiding. They’re not the only way. But they’ll give you ideas of how to abide in Jesus. You abide when you:

• Read the Bible during your morning devos, asking God to speak to you through His Word.
• Sing a worship song to God.
• Thank God for how He provided for you.
• Fellowship with other believers, sharing how God has been working in your life.
• Pray about a decision you need to make, asking God for wisdom.
• Praise God for how amazing He is.

You get the idea. You’re abiding in Jesus when your mind is focused on Him. And you stop abiding when you’re focused on yourself, when you don’t consider what He wants you to do, and when you decide to do something you know He doesn’t want you to do. When you stop abiding, the fruit doesn’t grow. Instead, it shrivels up and dies – like a branch does when it’s separated from the vine.

So, let’s choose to abide in Jesus. Let’s be intentional about our relationship with Him. Continually bring your mind back to Jesus throughout your day. As you do, you’ll produce spiritual fruit all day long as you walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Alex Gorbi on Unsplash