Cultivating Fruit

When my kids were in second grade, their class at school visited an area apple orchard for a field trip. The owner of the historic orchard was quite the story teller taking the students and chaperones on a wagon ride to give the history of the orchard and the events during the Revolutionary War that unfolded on the mountainous land itself.

After buying the old orchard the owner and his family wondered if it would really be that hard to grow apples on the severely overgrown and neglected trees. Some of the heirloom trees were over 85 years old. They had been through floods and blight and freezes that had damaged and even killed a few over the years, but the new owners found the trees were able to still bear fruit although being past their prime for bearing.

Recently, my son, Andrew, taught an object lesson for a class at church on the fruit of the Spirit. It made me think of the old apple orchard we visited many years ago when he was a lot younger (boohoo!), and how much work it really takes to cultivate healthy, plump apples from the trees. Several fruit trees do not produce fruit for a few years when you first plant them. For example, apple trees can take 2-5 years, and pear trees can take 4-6 years!

As believers, I wonder how much fruit of the Spirit are we bearing? The Holy Spirit is our Cultivator, but are we letting Him do His work? Or are we fighting against Him?

When I know a sharp or disrespectful response to my husband was wrong, do I immediately swallow my pride and apologize or do I brush it off with a “well, I was right and he was wrong” or “he loves me and will forgive me even if I don’t ask”?

When I feel that prick of guilt and don’t let the Holy Spirit cut the diseased shoot off, then it will continue to spread within the bough. It may take time, but eventually if I don’t acknowledge the Cultivator, then when I say, think, or do something wrong, I may not even feel Him trying to stop the disease.

While I was helping Andrew get his lesson ready, it made me think about each fruit as he attempted to make each one relatable for first and second graders. It made me realize there may be some adults who don’t fully grasp each of the nine fruits which collectively make up the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

God chose to use the word fruit (singular) instead of fruits (plural), because if we are a Christian with the Holy Spirit living in us, then we will display ALL of these characteristics. Some people including unbelievers may have a patient or kind disposition, but as a child of God we are to bear all nine. It may take time to grow them all, but if we let the Cultivator do His careful work, we will yield a godly life.

The owners of the apple orchard ended up having to hire a field manager. They needed a specialist. They couldn’t get the apple trees to successfully grow the best fruit possible on their own. We can’t do it on our own either. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to grow the fruit God desires. And just like those trees “past their prime,” we can also continue to bear fruit no matter how “old” we grow.

Psalm 1:1-3 provides a gardening tip on how to grow that fruit! “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

To bring forth fruit we are to make sure we are not letting sinners or ungodly people give us counsel. We are to delight in God’s Word by reading and meditating on it. We should be like a tree planted by a water source. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “living water” in John 7:37-39 and God’s Word is referred to as “water” in Ephesians 5:26. The nourishment we provide determines the quality of our fruit. This natural produce is the result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

I am hoping to gradually write about each fruit of the Spirit as I feel the Lord lead. It will be sort of a series as I share my experiences, my mistakes, and how my Cultivator has carefully pruned me to help me produce the fruit I should.

God created us to bring glory to Him. Being a fruitful Christian brings Him glory. We need to carefully tend our lives with His help, so we grow fruit. 💕