Introduction

I was just reading around in my Bible, thinking about what I had learned this past weekend, when I came across the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22. I remembered someone preaching about how the Fruit of the Spirit are not gifts but have to be grown. They used the verse from John 15:5 stating “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” Well I've heard this before, a lot, but I never really gave it much thought. Putting two together, I realize that we must grow the fruit of the spirit ourselves, with the spirit's help of course.

Thus it came to my mind, to start a fruit challenge. Each week, I'll be choosing a new fruit to work on producing in my life. As each week goes on, I'll add a new one, while continuing to work on the one before. I'll be journaling each day (in my personal journal and sometimes on here) to assess what I've learned, what I've struggled with, and what wasn't so bad. I expect some fruit to be harder than others. I’ll read all I can in the Bible about the fruit of the week along with my normal devotional.   Additionally, I'll be asking God to help me with this fruit, which, knowing him, he'll give plenty of opportunity to use it.

I'd like to challenge you, whoever you are, to do this challenge with me. Talk to me about it, and keep me accountable to keep going through with it. I'm hoping something amazing will come out of it.