But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (NIV)

When you read through the fruit of the Spirit, does it sound like you?

Suppose we’re honest, probably not. It doesn’t really describe us. On our own, that is. And that’s the point. 

The fruit of the Spirit is not a personality profile or a moral achievement list. It’s the evidence of a life given over to God. 

You cannot produce this kind of fruit on your own. It’s impossible. Only the Spirit can do that work. To be filled with the Spirit is first to be emptied of yourself. 

That’s why Paul doesn’t call it “the fruit of a really good Christian,” but the “fruit of the Spirit.”

The Spirit lives in contrast and opposition to the flesh.

The flesh has fruit of its own: hatred, misery, anxiety, rage, cruelty, corruption, faithlessness, harshness, indulgence. It’s what grows when we’re left to ourselves.

But the Spirit grows something different. And it only comes through surrender—through letting God prune and reshape us.

Which means: fruit doesn’t come from striving harder. It doesn’t come from religion. It comes from a heart, mind, and soul yielded to God.

On your own, you’ll either fall short trying to attain it, or worse—you’ll think you’ve succeeded while drifting further away. But if you abide in Christ, good fruit will come, not because of you, but because of Him.

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11

The fruit of the Spirit doesn’t describe who you are. It describes who lives in you and who you’re becoming in Him. It is the character of Christ taking root in your life.

When you receive Christ, He produces the fruit. His Spirit is alive in you. His life flows through you.

If your body is His temple, then your life becomes His garden. 

Written by Blake Stanley