Abiding to cultivate a fruitful spirit

Joy Barber
Jun 10, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Jun 13, 2024

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4

When I was a little girl, some of my sweetest memories involved visiting my grandparents during the summer in California. My Nana and Papa lived smack dab in the middle of bustling Los Angeles. Despite the commotion of traffic and honking horns, I found the most peaceful time of day to be mid-mornings. Around 9 am, the smoky scent of bacon would waft through my room and prod me from my sleep. With my covers strewn across the floor and a gentle breeze tickling my skin, I knew two things were certain. One, breakfast was almost ready and two, Papa was heading out to tend the garden. Throwing on the oldest t-shirt I could find, I would run into the kitchen ready to follow Papa outside. Papa was the "MacGyver garderner." He loved grafting two plants into one. As a result of his ingenuity, their backyard garden was VIBRANT.

One of my favorite plant creations was the "lemonange" tree's. Papa grafted a lemon and an orange tree to create lemons twice the size of my hand. They were HUGE and I had a hard time wrapping my head around how these lemons could grow so large in smoggy conditions. It wasn't until I sat down and read the book of John that I made the connection.

Jesus paints a powerful illustration for his disciples in John 15:5. Jesus states, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

The word abide, means to remain or stay connected to. God is the gardener of our lives, Jesus is the vine and we, as believers, are the branches. In nature, the purpose of the vine is to provide water and nutrients for the branches to grow healthy fruit.

Jesus states,"... if anyone thirsts, let him come to me, and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow the rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38)

Just as the "lemonange" fruit grows through connection to the vine, as believers, we will only be able to cultivate the fruit of the spirit in our lives by staying connected to Jesus. He is the source of living water.

Scripture reminds us “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)

I equate abiding to trusting. Whenever I am feeling anxious, this scripture reminds me of the importance of trusting in the Lord. I have found that daily prayer, gratitude and meditation on God’s Word is a way for me to abide in Jesus and experience the joy of his peace.

Despite the tossing and turning of our world, I can rest securely knowing that as long as I trust in God, allow him to prune the unhealthy areas of my life and remain in Jesus, I will be able to cultivate a bountiful harvest of fruit in my life.

" The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23)

To God be all the Glory and Praise!

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