Day 3
The Purpose of the Fruit
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
John 15:8 ESV
The God Girl’s life is filled with lots of opportunities to show the fruit of the Spirit. That is, you’ll meet a lot of difficult people who require your patience, love, and self-control. Much of the problem with difficult people and situations in your life comes from the lack of fruit and the abundance of the flesh. But when the fruit begins to grow in place of the flesh, life sweetens. It becomes less complicated, more effortless. When difficulties hit, the fruit of the Spirit brings out goodness rather than vengeance, fear, or worry. The fruit of the Spirit calms your soul, turning it toward the life of Christ rather than the life of self. And that’s why the fruit of the Spirit is so necessary to a deeper faith: it points your spirit and others to the life of Christ in you. When the fruit of the Spirit is lacking, the life of Christ is subjected to the desires of your flesh. But as you let him rule as your Lord, as you live to please him and to serve him, your natural desire is to act like him and so to reveal his Spirit to the world that so desperately needs him.
Think about why fruit grows for a sec. Like an apple tree—why does it exist? Does it exist to feed itself fruit? Or to feed those who come to it? That’s a ridiculous question, isn’t it? It’s silly to imagine a tree eating its own fruit. That’s not why a tree grows fruit. Sure, some fruit will fall to the ground, rot, and return as nourishment to the soil and so to the roots. But the fruit is mostly meant not for the tree but for the gardener and those around the tree. So it is with the fruit of the Spirit: while it does nourish your life, it more significantly feeds those around you. When you react to life in his Spirit, they are fed his presence. They get to see his fingerprint on your life, evidence of his having saved you and changed you, and so they learn more about him, and they discover his beauty.
The purpose of the life of the God Girl is to bring God glory. Thus the purpose of her fruit is to glorify God, to please him, and to show others how amazing he is. When you lack the fruit in your life, you miss the opportunity to show him off, to share him with others, and to change the world. But when you let his Holy Spirit inform your emotions, your thoughts, and your actions, you become a true disciple of Christ, a witness to his greatness and love. This is what you were made for, this is what you were grown for—to be his hands and feet to a dying world and to guide others to his throne.
The God Girl displays that she is a disciple of Christ not just by going to church, obeying all the rules, and being good but by responding to his voice and allowing his Spirit to inform her decisions and her feelings. Being a true disciple doesn’t mean working to be holy or righteous but simply means giving up your life to him, allowing him to determine your steps, your reactions, and your words. When you let the Spirit order your life like this, you will find an abundance of fruit that will feed not only your soul but also the souls of those you love.
- Find It
Take a look at the people God has put in your life. Make a list of them, and then consider how the Spirit might feed them fruit through you. Do they bring out your irritability? Then he wants to feed them patience. Do they bring out your anger? Then he wants to feed them love. Do they bring out your love? Then perhaps he wants you to feed them self-control or joy. Look at the people in your life as people who are coming to your tree to eat. Allow God to feed them through you. Pray for the fruit that you are lacking, and be mindful of it throughout the day as you interact with everyone.
- Pray It
Dear God, thank you for giving me people to nourish with your fruit. Help me to stop always thinking about myself and to start thinking only about you. Give me a mind that is set on listening to your Holy Spirit and responding to it no matter how difficult the situation. I offer my life to you. I make you Lord of it, and I turn away from my self-interest to live only for what interests you. God, may I love those around me the way you do. Amen.
If you can, get outside today. If not, then just look outside. Find a tree and watch it. Consider how it started, how it grows, and how much effort it put into becoming the tree it is. Where does it get its food? How does it stay alive? Why is it alive? What purpose does the tree serve? Find as many purposes for the tree as you can. How does it serve the animal kingdom, including you? How does it serve itself? And what does a gardener do with a tree that is barren, producing no good thing? Ask God to teach you about the fruit of the Spirit through this exercise. Take a look at these verses as you pray (you can find them in the back of the book).
1 Corinthians 12:7
John 15:4–5
Luke 6:43–44
Matthew 3:10