Careful Cultivation
Ashton Pankaew is a wife, a mother, musician, and full-time missionary in the United States and South Africa. She is passionate about truth, culture, and how to live out faith in today’s secular society. Today she talks to us about …
CAREFUL CULTIVATION
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Have you ever wondered where the Holy Spirit is in the midst of an argument or pressure? Why isn’t he making you more patient? Why can I not have self-control? Aren’t I supposed to have the fruit of the Spirit?
Whether I have a difficult situation or am in tension with my husband, daughter, boss or co-workers, the same questions cross my mind. In my heart I know I should be patient, but I just cannot muster up the patience or will myself to be kind. I am frustrated and discouraged when my inner being doesn’t measure up to what I think I ought to be. Recently however, due to an incredible course I am taking, it came to light that some of this frustration comes from a misunderstanding of the fruit of the Spirit.
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. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
What these verses mean, is that I cannot will myself to be patient in a trying situation. I cannot even will myself to have self-control or to be gentle. The fruit from God that comes out of our lives only occur when God cultivates the fruit out of us abiding in Him. In nature, fruit does not appear instantaneously on a branch. Fruit can only be produced from a vine that has been carefully tended to, pruned, and for many years cared for by the vinedresser. Typical grape vines do not produce grapes until they are cultivated for three years!
What does that mean for us? That means that the good fruit God wants to come out of our lives, comes first out of us knowing, understanding, and experiencing God’s own embodiment of the fruits of the Spirit. The first few lessons about the Spirit’s fruit in this course focused only on how God is these things. God is patient and self-controlled. God is good. His plans alone are always good. His actions alone are always good. His will alone is always good. Therefore, as I abide in God’s goodness, eventually the fruit of goodness will overflow out of me. But I do not need to will myself to be good. It is of no use.
Such truths remove a burden from my shoulders. I can never be good on my own. I can never be patient on my own, but with God a new story unfolds. The impossible becomes possible.
In the midst of trouble, I am beginning to learn to quiet my soul before the Lord and look to His goodness and patience. I need not force myself to be good and patient, but simply to look at Him and as I look to Him, He shows me myself, my inner pain, and sins. God calls me by name and tells me what I must do. None of this is quick or easy. None of this is apart from Him. So, as you receive all who God is, may His careful cultivation of you produce fruit – evident and growing.
