God is the God of more. In John 10:10, Jesus reminds us that He came to give life abundantly. James, Jesus’ brother, taught He gives more grace to the humble (James 4:6). Before ascending into heaven, He promised to provide more power to His disciples through His Spirit (Acts 1:8), and at this very moment, He gives more grace, mercy, and forgiveness to all who call on His name as Lord and savior. One area where Jesus wants to bring increase into our lives is fruit-bearing.

So, what is fruit? John Piper writes: “…fruit is simply the out-forming of what has passed through the branch from the vine…” Similarly, Bible commentator R. Kent Hughes defines fruit as: “…the reproduction of the life of the vine in the branch. Jesus is looking for the fruit of his life in us.” If fruit is the direct result of what comes from the vine, then we must conclude that the life, character, and actions of Jesus are the fruit He refers to in John 15. As branches, we don’t possess spiritual power; however, by remaining connected to the vine—Christ—we are equipped with all the power we need.

Paul the Apostle gives some descriptors of Christlike fruit, listing: “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). To assess whether you are bearing fruit, examine these nine qualities and see if they are visible and growing within you. To dig deeper, consider asking someone close to you whether these nine fruit of the Spirit are evident in your life. A follow-up question could be: which of these needs some pruning?

The word “prune” comes from the Greek word kathairō, meaning to cleanse, purify, or remove filth. Bruce Wilkinson once again writes: “Without pruning, the vine cannot reach its full potential.” God the Father loves us too much to leave us in the condition He found us. He knows there’s more fruit to be produced in and through us, and He continually works to cleanse, purify, and remove anything that hinders our ability to bear fruit. This process may sometimes be painful, yet we can trust that the vinedresser knows exactly what we need—and what we do not need—to experience greater fruitfulness in our lives.

Lord, I believe You are the God of more and I want You to do more in and through me. I desire to bear all the fruit You would have me to and I know that will cause more pruning in my life. Father, I trust You hand. Continue Your work, in Jesus’ name, amen!