Do you ever notice how weeds and suckers are the first and fastest things to grow in your garden? It could take weeks before you have a harvest from a tomato plant, but it'll only take a day or two before the unwanted vine weeds and dandelions sprout up. And if left alone, the weeds will surely choke the good plants and before long the whole garden will be overrun with weeds.
That reminds me of our spiritual life. Why is it that sin is so easily produced in our life, but it takes effort and intentional cultivation to bear fruit that is godly? Could it be because, without God, our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (as Jeremiah says)? And when left to itself our flesh can choke out our spiritual walk. When we neglect our spiritual walk, the works of the flesh can surely overrun our spirit and wreak havoc.
Galatians 5:16 says, "walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." This verse implies that if we are not walking in the spirit, then we are subject to fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. So, what does it mean to walk in the Spirit? I think it could mean a lot of things, but some of them, undoubtedly, are reading the Bible, prayer, fellowshipping with other believers, and sharing the faith. These things are sure to bear the fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. But if we neglect our Bible, our godly relationships, fellowshipping, prayer, sharing the faith and the like then we are subject to letting our lives be overrun with the works of the flesh, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, revelries, and the like.
So, what does the garden of your life look like? Are there a lot of weeds and works of the flesh? Don't worry we have so much hope in Jesus! In John 15 Jesus says that our Father prunes us so that we can bear fruit. That can mean removal of habits and mindsets that He sees as not godly. Let the Spirit lead you so that you can have the garden of your life filled with His fruit. This is why I tell my kids the Christian walk needs to be super close to Jesus; following Him super closely.
Imagine the amount of effort that a really prestigious athlete goes through to train his body- conditioning, diet, discipline, weight training- in the season and the off season. In Corinthians 9:25 Paul writes, "Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness that cannot wither." Paul uses the analogy of a well trained athlete to compare one running his/her Christian race. So we, as Christians, need to be just as disciplined (in spiritual ways) to that of a well trained athlete. But the result is worth the effort- who doesn't want love and joy and peace and all the other fruits of the Spirit?!
It is this kind of effort, energy, and intentionality that we must do to live a life filled with God's fruit. But, of course we are not in this alone, as we draw nearer to God, He promises to draw nearer to us (James 4:8). He fills us with His Spirit and enables us to walk a life honoring Him. He infiltrates our life and pursues us with a love that causes us to want to live for Him.