Galatians 5:22–23

You’re a Fruit Tree

Jesus said people will recognize us by our fruit (Matthew 7:20). Have you noticed that followers of Jesus respond to hard times differently? They can walk through a storm and still be in church with their hands raised. The closer you get to Jesus, the more you display who He is.

Jesus didn’t say, “Join a church” or “Take a class.” He said, “Come, follow me.” You can’t get close to Jesus and not be changed, just as you can’t sit near a fire and not get warm. Livestreams are a gift for those who can’t be here, but if you can be in church and aren’t, it’s like watching a fireplace on TV: you see it, but you don’t feel the warmth.

Influence matters. As a new believer in his first year of college, Pastor Mark looked for older students who were serious about God. One senior stood out; you could tell he had been with Jesus, and the more Mark was around him, the more he grew. “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Tell me who your friends are, and I can tell you who you’ll be in three to five years.

Galatians 4:19

Christ Formed in You

“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”

Galatians 4:19

The goal of the Christian life isn’t just attending church, knowing Scripture, or serving. The goal is that Christ is formed in you. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more our attitudes change. Things that once didn’t bother us start to offend us, and we say, “We’re not watching that.” That’s the Holy Spirit at work. That’s spiritual formation.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Christians aren’t meant to blend in. We’re meant to stand out. If you’ve worked somewhere for 20 years and no one knows you follow Jesus, something is wrong.

John 15:5

Grace, Not Performance

Paul wrote Galatians because false teachers were replacing grace with legalism, freedom with performance, and relationship with rules. “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you?” (Galatians 5:7). If you ever think, “If I do this, God will love me,” be careful. That’s legalism.

And notice: it’s the fruit of the Spirit, not fruits. They grow together. You can’t have peace without love. So how does that fruit grow?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

To remain means to abide, to stay connected, to dwell continually. Apart from Jesus, we labor in vain, always searching and never finding. You don’t grow fruit by trying harder. You grow fruit by staying connected to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 13:1

Love Is the Foundation

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love.” Love comes first because it is the soil and root system for everything else. Biblical love is unconditional, sacrificial, and chosen, not reactive.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

1 Corinthians 13:1

When you serve someone with love, you’re patient, present, and engaged. Without love, you still help, but you’re irritated, rushed, and counting the cost. You can speak well, serve well, and lead well, but without love it’s just going through the motions.

Romans 5:8

Love Is a Commitment, Not a Feeling

Culture defines love emotionally. Scripture defines love as a covenant. Pastor Mark remembers dating Christie, long before social media, staying on the phone for an hour just saying “I love you” and “Are you still there?” Infatuation draws people together, but a relationship needs something more than chemistry. That’s why many people go through relationships like shoes.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Jesus didn’t feel like dying, but He chose to. He loved us when we were undeserving, when nothing was coming back, at our worst. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). The greatest evidence of spiritual maturity isn’t how much you know, but how much you love.

Romans 12

Love Is Expressed Through Action

How do we live this way? It begins with surrender: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him, and only one thing happens on a cross: you die to yourself. Then, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). To conform means to be pressed into a mold. Surrender and a renewed mind lead to action.

We often think, “If people treated me better, I’d love them.” But if you only serve when you’re appreciated, you’re just reciprocating. We don’t serve for the praise of people. Jesus is the rewarder. We can’t control what others give; we can only control what we give.

Love is also the root of forgiveness. When you forgive, even if the other person never asks, God rewards it with peace. Forgiveness is a soft pillow to sleep on at night.

If you’ve been striving and searching but getting no traction, the reason may be that you aren’t connected to Jesus. Stop striving and start trusting. He loves you, and He’s drawing you home.