“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
Here in sunny California, we have been blessed with a plentiful supply of all kinds of fresh fruits whether from the grocery store or our own backyards. One thing that is regularly in limited supply however, is water. Currently we are going through a multi-year drought which has made water an especially scarce resource. This drought has had a direct impact on the amount of fruit that our farms and gardens are able to produce.
In Jesus’ days, water was also a scarce resource in the arid climate of Israel. That is why it was a very relevant metaphor for him to use to describe spiritual truths about the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
In the Bible, God has revealed Himself as being only One God, but three persons in One. Those three persons are referred to as “The Trinity” who include: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
One time, Jesus stood up in front of a crowd and likened the Holy Spirit to what he called “living water”. He said that anyone who believes in him (Jesus), rivers of living water will flow from within them. (John 7:37-39) Jesus also revealed in a later passage that that same Spirit of God will dwell within those who believe in him. (John 14:17, 1 John 4:15)
The Bible describes this process of being indwelled by the Holy Spirit as being “Born Again”. (John 3:3-7, 1 Peter 1:3, Titus 3:5) It also describes it as a baptism of the Holy Spirit.
All this takes us back to how our lives in Christ can produce the “Fruit of the Spirit”. Jesus said that as the True Vine, if we abide in him as his branches, and he in us, we will bear much fruit. In other words, if we receive this living water of the Holy Spirit, and are in communion with Jesus who is the source of eternal life, then we will be like the branch of a well-watered fruit tree, growing fruit effortlessly and abundantly producing the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
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