How to Grow the Fruit of the Spirit in Real Life

Hey carpool crew, whether you're passing the time in traffic or sitting on the back porch with your dog or cat, I love cats. I'm Pastor Justin, and I'm so glad you're here. Today we're talking about fruit and, no, not bananas or blueberries, even though those are pretty great. This is the kind of fruit that grows in your heart when you're walking with Jesus. Let's look at today's verse. Galatians chapter five, verses 22 and 23, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This letter was written by the Apostle Paul to a group of new believers in a region called Galatia that's now part of Turkey. Paul was helping them understand what it looks like to live by the Holy Spirit, God's presence living inside every believer. He wanted them to know, when you follow Jesus and stay connected to him, something amazing starts to grow in your life, not on trees, but inside your character. He calls them fruit because like apples or oranges, these qualities take time, nourishment, and care to grow. But unlike regular fruit, these are signs that God's spirit is working in you. If Jesus were sitting next to you in the car, I'd think he'd lean in and say, if you stay close to me, I'll grow something beautiful in you. He wouldn't say, try harder to be good. He'd say, stay with me and I'll help you love better, treat others better. I'll help you have more self-control. I'll help you be kind. I'll give you peace and joy when you need it. Jesus is like the vine and we are the branches. The more connected we are to him, the more those things begin to show up in our life. So how do we know the fruit of the spirit is growing in us? Well, let's go one by one and look at just a couple quick examples. Love: you cheer for a friend even when they win and you lose. Joy: you find happiness even if your day isn't perfect. Peace: you choose calm instead of yelling when your siblings annoy you. Patience: you wait your turn without complaining, even in a long drive through line. Kindness: you say something nice, even when someone isn't super nice to you. Goodness: you choose what's right even when no one's watching. Faithfulness: you stick with a promise even when it's hard. Gentleness: you use a soft tone instead of snapping back. Self-control: you walk away from something tempting because you know it's not the best choice. You don't grow all these overnight, but one day at a time with Jesus, your life starts to look more like his. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. Parents, if you love this podcast, share it with some parent friends. The fruits of the spirit is something every one of us can grow in. Give them the chance to have great conversations with their kids too. Before you go answer this question together, which fruit do you think God wants to grow in you right now and how can you practice it this week? I'll see you tomorrow on carpooling with Jesus.