The Fruit of the Spirit

All of us bear fruit! Jesus makes this point in Matthew 7 where he likens us to trees. Good trees bear good fruit; bad trees bear bad fruit. And you will know whether a person is a follower of Jesus Christ by the fruit they produce in life. For the 'proof of the root is in the fruit!' In Paul's terms, when we are operating under the control of the flesh, the old sinful nature, we will produce the deeds of the flesh. But when we operate under the control of the Spirit of God, produced in us will be the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is the composite picture of the character of Christ. And Christian character will result in Christian conduct. When the fruit of the Spirit is evident in us, we will look, smell, and act like Jesus. But how is the fruit of the Spirit in us? Jesus explains the dynamics of fruit production in John 15. It is the result of mutual abiding. We abide in Christ and Christ abides in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And Jesus uses three means to shape our character: His Word, Prayer, and Discipline. His desire for us is to bear fruit, more fruit, much fruit, that we might bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness, that others might see Jesus in us.