Cultivating Spiritual Growth and Lasting Relationships

Matthew 12:33 – “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.” 

As I was reflecting on life, the Holy Spirit stirred an insight within me about the true nature of good fruit. Good fruit begins with my relationship with the Lord. This connection is the foundation of everything I do and reflects on all other relationships. It’s through this deep abiding in the Lord that enables me to bear good fruit in my life.

Mark 12:30-31, Jesus said,  “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

When I think about bearing good fruit in my life, it’s not my accomplishments in God’s kingdom that come to mind, but the people and relationships. The true measure of good fruit is in the richness of those connections and the spiritual fruit they produce.

1 Peter 4:8-10 — “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 

Just like a ripe, juicy plum, good relationships have a sweetness that lingers long after shared time together. They can’t be mass-produced but must be nurtured with personal care and attention. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 — “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 

Spiritual Tree Analysis: Evaluating Your Spiritual Growth

Has the time come to trim the branches in your life? This could involve making space in relationships or shifting your priorities. It’s essential to allow God to prune what hinders us so that we can flourish. Pruning is essential for spiritual growth: It involves cutting away the dead, unhealthy, or unproductive parts so that the healthy, life-giving aspects can thrive and bear good fruit.

Mathew 7:3 — Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

Consider the condition of your spiritual “leaves.” Are they providing nourishment and healing to those around you, or have they become dry and brittle, perhaps due to stress or a season of dormancy? And what about water—how much are you taking in, and from what source? Drawing from the wellspring of life, the fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit, is essential for spirit-filled living, as opposed to drinking from polluted, toxic sources such as “Tell-A-Vision”, “Non-Social media”, and “Negative News”.

John 4:14 — “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

What Good Fruit is Your Life Producing?

Are the words you speak like honey, nourishing, protecting, and preserving? Or are they more like a raging fire, consuming any everything in their path? James 3:6 —“Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

Nurturing relationships and handling conflicts takes time and intentionality. How are conflicts being handled in your life? What are you doing about the weeds that may have grown? Just as an organic gardener avoids toxic chemicals and is careful not to rip out weeds recklessly, a grace-filled approach is needed to resolve conflicts. Trees, like people, are imperfect and shed debris. But as kingdom farmers and gardeners in God’s field, the call is to bring the best fruit to every person and situation.

The Good Fruit Test: Measuring Spiritual Growth

Galatians 5:22 — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” 

The metaphor of the good tree teaches us that the quality of our spiritual lives is reflected in the fruit we produce, just as a tree is known by its fruit. In this case, the fruit represents our relationships. We can bear good fruit by the way we embody the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In the way a farmer must nurture a tree with thoughtfulness, and gentle attention, so too must we tend to our spiritual lives and allow God to prune and shape us. Our words, actions, and responses to challenges reflect the state of our hearts. Good fruit grows naturally from a life rooted in God’s Spirit, living by His Word, and nourished in His presence.

When we care for our spiritual tree—trimming what hinders growth, watering it with the truth of God’s Word, and protecting it from the weeds of sin and bitterness—we will bear fruit that blesses others and glorifies God.

Would you like to receive counsel and encouragement from the Holy Spirit? Join me for a Spiritual Renewal! Together we’ll seek the Lord and explore Biblical principles and kingdom mindsets, paving the way for profound spiritual growth, restoration, and healing. Give me a call, I’m here to help you foster greater peace and joy in your life and relationships. Spiritual Renewal Testimonials