Cultivating a Fruitful Life

The key to experiencing a truly abundant and fruitful life is found through connection. Read the blog to discover how the Fruit of the Spirit is nourished and cultivated for optimum growth.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

In John 15:1-5 Jesus Christ gives us the key to producing the fruit of the Spirit “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5 - NLT)

Jesus didn't say, "For apart from me you can do some things." or "For apart from me you can do all things." He said, "For apart from me, you can do nothing." I cannot find anywhere in God’s Word where it says that I can produce the fruit of the Spirit in my own strength, by sheer determination or by my own will power. The fruit of the Spirit is a result of being totally connected to God through Jesus Christ … the Vine. It is a result of a life-walk with God; a heart open and receptive to His Word; a mind obedient to and a life surrendered to Him and His will.

Staying united with - living in - Jesus Christ is the key to producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

The qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit are good and desirable qualities. We admire and love people who exhibit such qualities and tend to avoid people who display the opposite. So, if these character traits - aspects of governing our thoughts, emotions, actions, perceptions, decisions and relationships and attributes of godliness are so desirable - then why are they so difficult to develop in our lives?

I believe the answer - as well as abiding - is found in surrender. The fruit of the Spirit is contrary to our sinful human nature. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He not only died for my sins, and your sins, and the sins of all the world. Through His death and resurrection, when we believe in Him by faith, we are free from sin!

We are no longer slaves to sin. A slave doesn't have a choice. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the freedom to choose to live a life in obedience to God and no longer to sin. I'm not saying we won't sin. As long as we are clothed in flesh and living in this world, we will miss the mark. But through Jesus Christ we now have a choice.

We are surrendered to something or to someone at all times. Either we are choosing to surrender to ourselves (our human desires), to another person, or to the Holy Spirit. It is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day choice. When we are surrendered to the Holy Spirit then the soil of our heart is changed and the Fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives.

I used to read this passage and think, “Okay, this is what I have to do.” But what I am learning is that being is the doing. If my desire is for The Lord, if I want to please Him above all else, if I delight in His Word and long for His presence, then the soil of my heart will begin to change, and as a result, my life will change.

I had it all backward; I kept trying to “do” all the “right” things without being united, staying connected … so that sweet peace and presence of The Lord eluded me. The strength that comes from our joy in Him was something that I read in Scripture that sounded nice … but I wasn’t experiencing it in my life. I was trying to change from the outside in, instead of being with the Lord, spending time in His Word, basking in His presence and in prayer … where change occurs from the inside out … because apart from Him I can do nothing.

Jesus Christ transforms me from the inside out.

Then some profound changes took place in my heart, and I began to understand what it means to be satisfied in and with and by The Lord Jesus Christ … and The Lord alone. I began to experience His presence in my life in ways I didn’t know were possible. I began to hunger and thirst for His Word.

Just as our body tends to crave the kind of food we nourish it with, so our hearts and minds tend to crave what we focus on. In other words, the more time spent reading God's Word the more we tend to desire God's Word. Time spent in prayer tends to produce a desire to pray more often. The more of God's presence we truly experience, the more His presence is longed for and cherished. The greater the desire to please God, the less is my desire to please myself. This is an example of staying united with, abiding in, and dwelling with, Jesus Christ. Just as any other relationship we invest in with someone we love.

Questions for Reflection:

What is one Fruit of the Spirit would you like to cultivate in your life? In what ways can you rearrange your priorities so that you can invest more time in your relationship with God? Is there something you need to surrender in order to do so?

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus that You promised to never leave me or abandon me. You are faithful. Yet, I confess, that sometimes I am not. Sometimes I want what I want instead of surrendering everything to You. I want to abide in You. Please help me let go of the past and receive your unconditional love into my heart. Give me the faith and courage to trust You fully, so my life is fruitful. Amen.

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Editor's Note:

This devotional blog is by Jen Stone-Sexton, Author, Speaker, Christian Life Coach and Founder. Jen has openings for a select number of new clients. Learn more about Jen and what Freedom to Flourish Life Coaching has to offer you.

Jennifer C. Stone-Sexton © 2025

All graphics created by Jen Stone-Sexton © 2025

All Rights Reserved.

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Credits:

All Scripture references and quotations used with permission:

Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.