Making the Fruit Grow

The last two seasons of gardening were fruitless for us. One year there was so much rain that our plants died out. Another year there was extreme heat and our garden burned up while we were gone on vacation. However, in the spiritual life there will always be some fruit in the Christian's garden. This is confirmed as Jesus teaches the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13. There Jesus says, "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

Sometimes the amount of fruit in our lives is so small that we are nearly unusable. When that happens God will work to increase the fruit. He applies his medicine. Vance Havner said, "Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it 'Shake well before using.' And that is what God has to do with some of his people. He has to shake them well before they are ever usable." Paul wrote to Timothy, "Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee."

God's medication is found just after the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:24-26. The text says that "Those that are Christ's...." have crucified the flesh, walk in the Spirit and reject self-centered living (have "not become conceited, provoking, ... envying"). I like to think of these three as similar to breaking the ground, having the proper sunlight and water, and keeping the weeds pulled. Just as these are essential in the gardens we plant, they are also essential in the garden God has planted in us.