John 15:1-8(NKJV)"5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.""

To abide in the vine means to stay in continual relationship with Jesus. It is not limited to just 45 minutes on Sunday; instead, it requires ongoing commitment. You cannot expect full-time fruit and full-time blessing with only a part-time commitment.

How committed are you to the Kingdom of God, the will of God, the ways of God, and the Word of God?

True disciples are recognized by the fruit they bear, which is evident to others. Just as a big red apple identifies an apple tree, there is fruit that marks you as a Christian. Disciples of Jesus should act like Jesus, and the visible fruit in our lives shows we are connected to the vine and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 15:2(AMP)"2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He repeatedly prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]."

God is always cutting dead things out of your life and pruning you from bad attitudes, addictions, and other things. This is a lifelong process because, as your life progresses, He wants to bring more and more fruit to the glory of God in your life.

John 15:16(NKJV)"16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain."

John 15:16 shows that you can have fruit, and it may not remain. Many lives produce things, works, and businesses, but those things will not remain.

1 Corinthians 3:9-15(AMP)"14 If any person's work which he has built on this foundation remains, he will receive a reward. 15 But if any person's work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss of his reward; yet he himself will be saved, but only as one who has barely escaped through fire."

Your life is like a garden and like a building that God is building. We want fruit that remains. This is because we are saved by grace through faith, not saved by works. But we are rewarded for our works when we stand before God, and those works are tested by fire.

The day of judgment will be like fire. People's lives, what they devoted their life to, and the fruit that was there will be examined by God. Anything that is not right, not good, and not of God will burn up. But the good fruit, the things done for God and with God, will remain. After the fire, what is left will be like pure gold. It will shine, and those are the things we will be rewarded for in our life.

Ecclesiastes 2:4(NKJV)"4 I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards."

Ecclesiastes 2:4 shows a focus on self: me, me, me, me.

Ecclesiastes 2:11(NKJV)"11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun."

Then comes the realization in Ecclesiastes 2:11. I do not want to be in that group. I do not want a little ash in my hand; I want fruit that remains.

God is a rewarder. He rewards those who diligently seek Him and put Him first. What does God want you to do with your time, money, and effort?

You cannot do something fruitful if you are wasting your time doing something fruitless.

1. Love Is the Preeminent Fruit

Love is the fruit, and all the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are like slices off the orange. Love is the orange, and the slices are joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control.

Love is the distinguishing mark of Christianity.

1 Peter 4:8(NKJV)"8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins.""

Why does the King James Version call it charity? Because it is showing that this is unearned and undeserved love. God loved us when we did not deserve it. While we were sinners, and on our worst day, God loved us, died for us, and atoned for our sins.

1 John 4:16(NKJV)"16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

1 Corinthians 13:13(NKJV)"13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

James 2:8(NKJV)"8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well."

James 2:8 describes love as the royal, supreme law: love your neighbor as yourself, and you will do well.

The royal or preeminent law is learning to grow and operate in this agape, God-kind of love.

You may not know it or understand it, but it is affecting your life today. Walking in the God-kind of love has affected your life tremendously to this very day, and more and more as you go into your future.

As you grow and get older in the Lord and mature, you are responsible to be a doer of the Word. A baby in a high chair with food in their hair is something you overlook. But when they are 14 and you see food in their hair and ears, you expect a little more.

Galatians 5:22-23(NKJV)"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

John 13:35(NKJV)"35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 13:35 says that if you want to find out if someone is a disciple of Jesus, you find out if they have agape. Then people will know they are a disciple of Jesus.

That is a characteristic that sets you apart from all the other religious people in the world because religion hates people. You can be a devout follower of religion, and they will kill you. Religious people will start wars, kill you, and hate your guts if you do not convert to whatever they want you to convert to.

True Christianity does not. We bless those who curse us, pray for those who despitefully use us, love our enemies, and do good to people who do not do good to us.

2. Walking in Love Is Walking in the Spirit

Walking in the Spirit is walking in love. God is love.

Galatians 5:14-17(NKJV)"14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."

Galatians 5:14-17 shows that there is opposition to walking in the Spirit and walking in love. It is not going to be easy to do that. The flesh may still be leading.

When you receive Jesus, your spirit is reborn. You can be going to heaven and your spirit can be reborn, but down here on earth, you can be living a life like hell. You are supposed to be led by the Spirit of God, not the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit should dominate in your life.

1 John 4:16(NKJV)"16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

Stay controlled by love. If you stay controlled by love, you are staying controlled by God.

It is always a battle. It is not natural to get cut off and flipped off in traffic and just respond with, "Bless them, Jesus." That is not natural. That is going after the higher law and saying, "I am going to keep walking in God and walking in love."

When you have had a hard, long day at work and you are still patient and kind to your spouse and family when you get home, that is the power of the Spirit. Because you are walking in love and the power of the Spirit, it takes the power of the Spirit to control your tongue, emotions, and feelings. It shows the Spirit's work in your life when you do that.

Just like it takes power to cast out devils, people want power to cast out devils. But first, let's get power over our anger, power over unforgiveness, bad moods, and evil speaking. Let's operate in that power.

If you do that, you are staying in love, and you will have fruit like self-control.

It is the restraining power of the Spirit of God that causes us to walk in love, not answer back, not be in a rage, and not let anger dominate.

3. The Fruit of Love Helps Us Act Like God

1 John 4:7-8(NKJV)"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

The more you learn to know God, the more you will be like Him, and the more fruit you will start having in your life.

God wants you sensitive to Him. Get the flesh reigned in and under control.

You might say, "It is just my personality to be impatient."

Well, get over it. Change it.

Ephesians 3:16(NKJV)"16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man."

Ephesians 3:16 shows that He can help your personality.

Walking with the fruit helps you act like God, and He will work in your personality.