When I was living in the village, we planted some fruit trees including papaya and banana trees. Some bore fruits. There was a particular fruit tree that grew quite tall after some time and we were quite happy and looked forward to seeing it heavy with fruits. However, we waited in vain for fruits. It was particularly frustrating because my mom invested quite a bit of effort in it. In the same way, as Christians who have the precious eternal life of God in us, God also expects you to be fruitful—to be heavy with fruits.

Fruit of the Spiri

You are expected to bear fruit in your inner spiritual life. That includes bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (How many of them characterize your life?): “But the fruitof the Spirit is love,joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). Love: do you love people, care and do good to them even when they are not so lovable or when they do things that upset you? Joy: this comes from knowing the fact that your sins have been forgiven so that God has now fully accepted you as His child whom He will love for all eternity. How can you not be filled with joy? Peace: this refers not only to peace in the heart, but more so to peace among believers, that we all live in harmony. Patience: this is the passive side of love, which refers to putting up with people who need long and patient love and kindness. Kindness: the standard of kindness is that of God who demonstrates it through his acts of mercy towards those who deserve to be punished. Goodness: it includes everything that is considered good. Faithfulness: it refers to living a life that is faithful to God. Christians live to please God (faith) which should motivate you to do good to people. Gentleness: it refers to people who are not selfish, who will look after the needs and concerns of others before their own. Self-Control: such a person is able to abstain from any and everything for the sake of others, that others may be built up and not stumbled.

Walk by the Spirit

If you want to be fruitful, the preceding context tells us how you can live and enjoy the new life in Christ: you must walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16). First, this refers to living the Christian life with the help of the Holy Spirit: When you are urged in your heart by the Holy Spirit to do what pleases God (which will be according to God’s word), obey the Spirit’s leading. Then you will naturally exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Second, this also includes living in the Spirit. Simply put, it refers to living in a spiritual environment. It is helped by the physical setting, e.g. attending Sunday worship service or fellowship with fellow Christians. It can also mean a life characterized by constant prayer in all circumstances. In short, by having constant fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit that is working in your heart, you will be enabled to bear spiritual fruit.

As a good seed, when properly nurtured, will bear good fruit, in the same way, as you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you should and you can be fruitful, very fruitful for God. Live by the help of and in the Spirit. Resist (and you can) all sinful urgings. Then your life will become a beautiful garden.