But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Every year at this time, I look forward to two of my favorite things: vine-ripened tomatoes and freshly-picked peaches (forgive me if I’ve mentioned this before). But nothing is better!

Canned, or frozen peaches are pretty good, but nothing beats a peach, handpicked yourself off a tree at Green Bluff. And tomatoes ripened to a deep red and picked from a plant in your back yard—vastly better than the cardboard imposters sold in grocery stores the rest of the year. The problem for me is that these luscious fruits are only available for a few months each year. They are seasonal, and therefore, temporary.

As wonderful as these fruits are, and you may have your own favorites, there is infinitely better fruit, and may be produced at any time: The fruit of the Spirit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

There are some similarities between fruit from a tree and the fruit of Spirit. Tomatoes and peaches take time and must be grown in the right conditions. To get that tasty fruit, there must be a combination of time, sunlight, moisture, and nutrients from the soil. For the best fruit possible, these elements must be in the proper proportion. You can’t have too much or too little sun, too much or too little water, too much or too few vital nutrients. And they must not be picked too soon or too late.

Just like tomatoes and peaches, the fruit of the Spirit comes naturally (or shall we say, supernaturally), but they are not produced automatically. The fruit of the Spirit is produced in the right conditions. Just like those tomatoes that had just the right amount of sun, water, and nutrients, the godly virtues of the Holy Spirit are produced in our lives when we are minding the garden. In the Christian life, we mustn’t think that the fruit of the Spirit will be automatic. We are responsible for the proper conditions for growth and production of fruit.

What are the proper conditions? Also, in Galatians 5, we read, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (v. 16). Then, the Apostle says in verse 25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” We must walk by and live in the Holy Spirit of God for there to be fruit in our lives. These are the conditions necessary for fruit.

Further, the Holy Spirit uses means. Just as the sun, water, and soil are the means for tomatoes to grow and produce, the Holy Spirit uses specific means to produce fruit. There is no secret here, the means are known to all of us. The Holy Spirit always works through the means of grace. These means of grace are scriptural truth, prayer, worship, fellowship, serving, Communion, etc. Our part is really that of obedience. Walking in the Spirit is nothing more than cooperating with God’s Spirit by choosing to take part in the means by which He will make us holy (by producing His fruit in us).

Perhaps you’ve seen this old saying, “Sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character.” This is true in the spiritual world, as well. When we make use of the means by which the Spirit works, we are forming “holy habits” as J.I. Packer calls them. When we make use of the means God has provided, by faith and obedience, in the proper time, the Holy Spirit produces these fruit in our lives. When the conditions are right, the fruit comes forth.

It is important to remember that the fruit is His, and not our own. As we regularly make use of the means the Spirit provides (Bible, prayer, worship, fellowship, etc.), there must be a constant reliance upon Him. That is, there is always the recognition of our own inability to be fruitful in ourselves. This is faith, as we trust and obey. We have a choice: the deeds of the flesh (our doing) or the fruit of the Spirit (His doing). 

One final note on this fruit. It should be obvious as we look at this fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—does this remind you of anyone? Of course, this is a portrait of Jesus Himself. And thus, the goal of the Christian life, the goal of the Spirit’s work in our lives, is to make us like Jesus Christ.

Peaches and tomatoes are wonderful in season. But there is a fruit that can always be in season, will never spoil, and last forever. It is yours as you walk in the Spirit. Bon appétit!