Spiritual Growth / Spiritual Fruit

  • Walking by the Spirit

    Galatians 5:16–17

    John Calvin comments, “If we would obey the Spirit, we must labor, and fight, and apply our utmost energy; and we must begin with self-denial.” Walking by the Holy Spirit is the denial of the self and one’s fleshly ...Read More

  • The Parable of the Soils

    Matthew 13:18–23

    Matthew Henry writes: “That which distinguished this good ground from the rest, was, in one word, fruitfulness. He does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but there were none that prevailed to ...Read More

  • Revealing the Heart

    Matthew 12:33–37

    Dr. John MacArthur teaches that “no infraction against God’s holiness is a trifling thing, and each person will ultimately give account of such indiscretion” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 1,146). The Lord hears and remembers every word we ...Read More

  • Word and Deed

    Matthew 7:21–23

    God knows we will never be perfect in this life, but He does expect us to grow in faith and increasingly conform to Christ by loving our fellow Christians, understanding true doctrine, and following His precepts (1 John 3:23 ...Read More

  • False Prophets and Their Fruits

    Matthew 7:15–20

    Though we are all responsible to evaluate our teachers by the fruit of their teaching and lives, it does not necessarily follow that this evaluation is solely an individual responsibility. In fact, we need other Christians who are grounded in ...Read More

  • Gentleness

    Matthew 11:28–30

    God’s mercy and gentleness to unrepentant sinners will not last forever. One day they shall receive His wrath, and in some small way we will participate in the judgment of the world (1 Cor. 6:2a). Until that day ...Read More

  • Goodness and Faith

    Psalm 37:3

    What motivates you to do good works? Are you serving your neighbor solely out of a desire to please the Lord, or are you doing so just because it makes you feel good? Perhaps you just enjoy the recognition that ...Read More

  • Patience and Kindness

    Proverbs 21:21

    All of us have been tempted at one time or another to jockey for position and to make ourselves look knowledgeable by correcting minor mistakes. For example, we sometimes think that by always correcting minor misstatements and trivial errors we ...Read More

  • Joy and Peace

    Galatians 5:22–23

    The victory of Jesus over the power of Satan guarantees that we can have joy and peace. Nothing will be able to defeat ultimately those who are in Him, and we have nothing to fear from our Father, for in ...Read More

  • Suffering and Patience

    James 5:10–11

    James 5:11 concludes by reminding us that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. We can see this now but it will be even more evident to us at the last day. The vindication that we will experience and the ...Read More

  • Be Patient

    James 5:7–9

    Presently, the people of God suffer under the rule of ungodly men. Yet, as we have read today, one day this will all be reversed. We must, therefore, wait patiently for this day, working to help spread the good news ...Read More

  • Self-Control

    Proverbs 25:28

    Is the fruit of self-control manifesting itself in your life? Do you lose your temper often, or are you able to control your emotions? Take some time to look at the relationships in your life to see whether you are ...Read More

  • Faith and Fruit

    Galatians 5:19–23

    No single Christian has every gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:1–11). However, this is not true of the fruit. All of us must be growing in our expression of each. Take some time to look at ...Read More

  • The Fruit of Discipline

    Hebrews 12:11

    One of the reasons that discipline is so difficult to endure sometimes is that we cannot see the future. We cannot see the good that God will produce in us as a result of today’s discipline. Yet we are ...Read More

  • The Carnal Christian

    1 Corinthians 3:1–4

    Being conformed to the image of Christ does not happen quickly. There is no secret formula for victory over the flesh or a second blessing that creates instant maturity. One of the most important means for growing to maturity is ...Read More