When I think about this earthly life and the purpose of Teen Mania’s mission, the blood, the sweat, the tears, the blessings that we care about most is growing the fruit that lasts an eternity — souls and nations for the Kingdom of God.

In Galatians 5, God says there is no law against the fruits of the Spirit. “If we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25)

I read there are actually 2000 types of fruit in the world, even if we only consume about 10% of them or 200. I’m sure there are probably at least that many kinds of fruit that we can develop in our own personal lives with God as well.

The fruit of the Spirit as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 are LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL.

As Christians, fruit is something that grows in us. Too often we focus on what not to do or “sin management.” With real spiritual growth and maturity, even at the beginning of our walk with Christ, there is a benefit to focusing on “How many good things am I doing?” instead of “What do I have to give up?”

Fruit just grows and develops—we don’t have to announce it, but it should be obvious to others. Just as in the natural world, fruit grows over time. We can focus on what kind of fruit or character we want to have in our lives. Take time to ask God to help you grow in a particular area.

If we want good fruit that grows to maturity, our roots need to grow down deep no matter what season we are in, spring, summer, fall, or winter. Consistency in prayer, reading the Word, and obedience to the Spirit provide excellent conditions to grow good fruit.

In times of dormancy (or slow/gradual growth) such as winter, we need to have more faith and not live by feelings or what we see or don’t see, but do things that develop the growth of fruit. Just because there are no leaves, it doesn’t mean the tree is dead and so it is with fruit: it may be ready to burst forth with time and patience.

Growing fruit is also a strong desire God has for each one of us as found in John 15. He says it is to His Father’s glory that we bear much fruit and fruit that will last. The only way we can do this is to remain in Him, the True Vine as no branch can bear fruit by itself. As we stay close to the Lord, He does allow us to be fruitful and continues to prune us to be even more fruitful in the days to come.