I have always thought of the fruit of the spirit as purely external. Like the adorning of a luxury coat.
If I am filled with the spirit, I appear patient to those around me, I appear gentle, I appear kindhearted, I appear to be loving.
But what happens if I am not all of those things?
When I clearly miss the mark, I am flooded with doubt.
Am I filled with the spirit of God? Am I not really saved because I yelled at my kid? Do I not have a relationship with the King because I ate all of the cookies on the tray instead of having self control?
You know, light thoughts like that.
So I flip the script and work harder to be patient, gentle, kind hearted, save a cookie for later and save ANOTHER one for my husband when he gets home. Now I am surely abiding in the Spirit... right?
Maybe this horribly misplaced theology is because of my early indoctrination in the Church, that Christ is more concerned with our outward person than the reality of our hearts, or maybe because of my years in youth group, attending mission trips, and in Bible college, when my outward appearance and general existence became the sole place of judgment from those in authority on my character, my life with Christ, and what my inner person MUST be up to and thinking.
Your legs look too long in those Bermuda shorts, you must be a temptress.
You went on this mission trip, you must really have your spiritual ducks in a row. Want to be a leader now?
If you speak in tongues, that means you have faith. Try harder.
You have a crush on our prized intern, you must be here for drama, surely not to learn from God.
Unfortunately those were real assumptions and comments made to my teenage self, from people who knew me and also from complete strangers. I am not sure which hurts worse.
Anyways, there could be a myriad of excuses I find for falling into this thought that a fruitful spirit filled life can be manufactured and controlled by my own abilities. But the main reason I fall into this faulty thought pattern is because if fruitfulness could be manufactured, that would, in a way, be easier to accept than the fruit of a spirit filled life costing me myself, and my time, sowing and tending my life abiding in the spirit of Jesus. Tending takes time, fruit takes time, and I am thoroughly embedded in a culture that doesn't like things taking time; self sacrifice and time feel too costly.
Why take time working on producing the real thing when the faux thing looks the same and cost's less?
Let's pivot and explore that thought a little bit, thinking of the world of fast fashion.
The fast fashion industry has taken our world by storm. According to a study done by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, just in the last 25 years, clothing sales have doubled from 100 billion to 200 billion units per year.
Alongside this increase, it is recorded that the average times an item is worn has decreased by 36%.
So let's break this down in simpler terms, we now have more things, less enjoyment, and worse quality.
But the irony and foolishness of the fast fashion industry doesn't end there, we are also spending more money and more mental energy than ever on clothing. According to another study done by Euromonitor international, the average American spends roughly $866 on over 50 items of clothing a year.
If we compare what this study is saying, with the study we just talked about, we are spending more money and more time on fast fashion clothing than ever before, only for it to need to be replaced in a year, or two. More clothes means more daily decisions, more time spent shopping and reselling, more money wasted on trying to keep up with faux appearances.
I wonder if the fast fashion industry has the same slogan as I tend to have with spiritual things in my life?
Why take time working on producing the real thing, when the faux thing looks the same and is cheaper?
Just like we would rather spend over $800 on too many pieces of clothing thinking we are saving money, we do the same with spirituality. We spend far more trying to keep up the appearance of Godliness without the cost. Thus rocking the dupe for one year, and having to buy another, than cherishing and enjoying the real deal for your whole life. It's all fun and games until someone sees the tag, that your Prada jacket is actually a praba and the "leather" is peeling.
Real fruit of a life with Christ starts with sacrifice, and that is costly. Jesus tells us plainly "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33
Your investment for fruit doesn't end there, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4
Abiding takes time, the Biblical word used for abide here translates "to remain" or, my favorite, "to be held, kept, continually" Abiding is an invitation to remain, and be continually held. This doesn't sound like a quick process, but it does sound absolutely lovely. Time and sacrifice is costly yes, and we will always have these costs presented to us daily whether in the matter of keeping outward appearances, or investing in the heart.
It's a matter of spending thousands over your lifetime on praba jackets, hiding the tag, or investing in one PRADA jacket to enjoy and wear with pride. Just like the fruit of the Spirit is not a PRADA Jacket, the cost isn't so much for the external appearance, but for the quality, the tag, and internal feel.
With Jesus, the invitations to self sacrifice and time, to renounce all we have, follow Him, and be closely held and kept, are just as much an invitation to internal fruit that nourishes the core of our being, as they are for outward beautiful fruit to nourish and care for those around us.
The invitation to abide in Christ, to renounce all we have and are, is not done alone, but through Christ and with Christ. Yes, they are costly, but they have a lifetime guarantee, by Someone who did it first. Galatians 2:20 tells us this, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Dying to ourselves is costly, time is costly, but I think what we so often forget as followers of Christ, is that the alternative to renouncing ourselves, and abiding in Him, is far more costly to us.
Let's jump to the last fast fashion statistic I want to show you today, about what really comes of our investment in the faux cheap fix, rather than the real deal.
Every year, the majority of these clothes we spent time, money, resources on, end up in the landfill or incinerated. The dupe didn't amount to much other than waste. It looked nice for the moment it served us, but the moment the jig was up, away it went.
In John 15 we are told that true fruit cannot be produced unless we are abiding in Him, and we are told "If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." Sound familiar? Unfortunately this cost Jesus is warning us of is far greater, and for what? False security? Instant gratification? Appearance without nourishment?
The life Jesus invites us into is one of sacrifice yes, but of great gain. Of the appearance of Godliness, but the power and security of it too. Of outward fruit that nourishes those around us, and inward fruit that allows love to permeate and heal our inner being. A few verses later in John 15, Jesus tells us that all of this talk about abiding, the cost of not abiding, and of fruit, was for what? For Joy within us. "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
I always thought the fruit of the spirit was purely external, like the adorning of a jacket. How much more beautiful does this gift of fruit seem now that I realize that the Fruit of the Spirit is just as much for my internal self, as it is for outward generosity. The cost of real sacrifice, real abiding, seems far less costly when I become aware of the value it brings to my inner life with Christ, the healing of my heart, having fullness of joy, ability to be gentle and kind with myself and others, of peace in my mind. The benefit of real fruit is equally as beautiful, as it is nourishing. Maybe this perspective shift, of seeing the benefit there is for me with the promises of the fruit of the Spirit, is selfishness; or maybe it is learning to embrace grace, and wear it proudly.
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