This past Sunday at Medina Community Church, we continued our Fruitful series by looking at Galatians 5:16–25 and the contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.
One of the biggest misunderstandings in the Christian life is thinking spiritual growth comes from trying harder. Many of us know what the fruit of the Spirit is—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—but we often struggle with why those things don’t consistently show up in our lives.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that fruit is not manufactured through human effort. Fruit grows naturally when we stay connected to the source.
Jesus said in John 15:
“I am the vine, you are the branches.”
A branch does not strain to produce fruit. It simply stays connected to the vine. In the same way, our responsibility is not to manufacture spiritual fruit, but to remain connected to Christ.
Paul contrasts two different ways of living:
- the works of the flesh, and
- the fruit of the Spirit.
The flesh represents that part of us that wants to live independently from God. Left unchecked, it produces anger, selfishness, jealousy, division, impurity, and spiritual emptiness. The Spirit, however, produces the very character of Jesus within us.
One illustration from the message compared the law to a mirror. A mirror can reveal what is wrong, but it cannot fix anything. You cannot pull the mirror off the wall and comb your hair with it. In the same way, rules and self-effort can expose sin, but they cannot transform the heart. Only Jesus can do that.
The good news of the Gospel is not:
“Try harder.”
The good news is:
“Stay connected.”
As we walk with Christ through prayer, Scripture, worship, fellowship, and surrender, the Holy Spirit begins producing something beautiful in our lives. Love grows. Peace grows. Joy grows. Patience grows. Not perfectly overnight, but progressively as we abide in Him.
If you feel that struggle in your life, that does not necessarily mean something is wrong. In many ways, it is evidence that God is at work within you.
Perhaps the most important reminder from Sunday was this:
You might be a thousand steps away from God, but it’s only one step back.
Jesus still calls us to return to our first love, reconnect with Him, and walk closely with Him again.
If you missed Sunday’s message, or would like to watch it again, you can view the full sermon here:
