3 Promises of a Fruitful Life

In addition to my normal Bible reading, I’ve been focusing on John 15. I’ve been mulling over the concepts of abiding and fruitfulness.

I want my life to bear fruit, and I’m guessing you do as well. We long for our lives to make a difference. The good news is that Scripture is filled with promises of fruitfulness for those who root their lives in God.

Some of my favorite “fruit” passages are:

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3).

“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him’” (Psalm 92:14-15).

“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:4-5).

From these Scriptures and others, I see 3 promises of a fruitful life:

Fruit is the natural outgrowth of our relationship with Christ. Fruitfulness is not the result of human effort but of our union with Christ. As we yield to Him, His nature grows within us. In other words, it’s not about achieving; it’s about abiding! In John 15, where Jesus tells us we are the branches, you never see the branches stressed out. They simply stay rooted in the vine. As we abide—stay rooted, remain, and rest in Christ’s finished work—fruit naturally flows out of our lives.

Fruit transforms our inner life. As we remain close to Jesus and His Holy Spirit fills us, our attitudes and inner thoughts should reflect that. As we yield more and more to Christ, we’ll experience less anxiety and more peace, less tension and more joy, less hatred and more love. In other words, Christ’s attitude will flow out of us to others. However, cultivating our inner life takes intention. We need to spend time with Jesus each day and nurture our relationship with Him. He longs to be with us. As we prioritize spending time in His presence and focusing on His nature, our hearts are changed.

Fruit shows up in our outward life. As we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit, we will experience greater fruitfulness in our relationships, professions, and ministries. As the Holy Spirit fills you, His joy becomes evident in your life, and other people notice. As He fills you and you become less judgmental, people will feel more loved by you. As He fills you and you become less self-focused and more others-focused, you’ll become a better listener, and others will enjoy spending time with you. You’ll have a greater impact on your family, your community, and the world around you. As you join Jesus in His mission to bring the Gospel to the world, you’ll begin to see communities and cities changed because your life was fruitful.

As we enter this summer, I’m going to spend a lot of time in John 15 and consider what it looks like in my own life to abide. May I encourage you? Why not type out John 15:1-17 double-spaced? Read it once a day and mark what stands out to you with a pen or highlighter. Circle the phrases that appear several times. Write out your reflections, and above all, ask the Holy Spirit to transform you as you soak in Christ’s words. I believe He wants to take each of us into deeper realms of abiding and fruitfulness.

This week on The Connected Mom, we are talking with Dr. Kathy Koch about what it looks like to navigate conflict with adult kids. 

Time is running out! Don’t forget to register to join Steve and me in Greece for The Footsteps of Paul trip this September!