Good Ground, Good Fruit

SISSS, can you believe that our summer series is winding down and almost coming to an end? I am truly in awe as I reflect on all that God has done in this season. He has done exceedingly and abundantly above all I ever imagined. He deserves all the GLORY! Not just for what He’s done but for Who He is. Amen?

All summer in our “Blossom + Flourish” series, we’ve been tending to the garden God planted in us, allowing Him to pull up weeds, plant new seeds, and position us to grow and rise in His purpose. From devotionals rooted in faith to lookbooks inspired by His covenant promise in every color of the rainbow, this has been a season of BECOMING.

As summer (a season of blooming) shifts into fall (a season of harvest), it’s time to move from just growing into producing and bearing visible fruit from all God has done in us.

For the remainder of the series, we’ll focus on cultivating the fruits of the Spirit, serving as the evidence that the Holy Spirit is alive and growing within us. Because true flourishing isn’t just about blooming. It’s about bearing fruit that reflects God’s character, our faith, our maturity, our relationship with Him, and His glory in every season.

So our topic for today: Good Ground, Good Fruit

As Daughters of the Most High, we are rooted in good ground. Just like trees, plants, and flowers must be planted in the right soil to grow and blossom, so must we.

Now, we don’t have to be farmers, gardeners, or rocket scientists to understand what a tree needs to bear fruit:

Good soil to provide nutrients.
Sunlight to energize and strengthen its growth.
Water to refresh and sustain life from the inside out.
Pruning to remove what hinders healthy growth.
And time because fruit doesn’t grow overnight.

I’m not trying to get too deep into how fruit trees grow. I’m just trying to lay good ground. No pun intended, lol.

Instead, I’d rather we go deeper into understanding the fruits of the Spirit. Today’s devotional is really just an overview or foundation for this discussion. But as we journey through this month, we’ll take time to unpack each fruit that Galatians 5:22–23 calls us to demonstrate as Believers in Jesus:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Sis, I am grinning from ear to ear because I’m so excited for this, and I hope you are too. There’s absolutely no way we can end this series that’s been all about growth and flourishing without addressing the fruits. Again, true flourishing isn’t just about blooming. It’s about bearing fruit that reflects God’s character, our faith, our maturity, our relationship with Him, and His glory in every season.

We’ve partnered with God and have put in the work. The soil has been laid. We are rooted in Jesus, surrendered to His will and pruning processes, and sustained by Living Water. So now, it’s time to bear fruit.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, my God in Heaven,

I want to thank You, not just for what You’ve done but for Who You are. You have kept Your promises in every season, and because of You, I am not easily shaken. Because of You, I am covered and fully sustained. Because of You, I have everything I need.

As I continue this walk with You, I pray that anything and everything that is not like You be uprooted. Anything within me that does not bear good fruit, may it be removed. Lord, I want to be a reflection of You. I know You have called me to be a light in this dark and fallen world, and I can only do that through Your grace and the inworking of Holy Spirit.

I understand that You are developing me and that all things take time. So I pray for wisdom and for patience. I pray that love, joy, and peace that surpasses all understanding be felt in every room I enter because of You and Your glory.

Let me yield to Holy Spirit when I struggle in my relationships so I may express kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control even when it’s difficult. And lastly, I pray for an increase in my faith and may you be glorified in everything I do and say today.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scriptures to meditate on this week:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV, Gelatians 5:22-23)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV, John 15:5)

“Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (NIV, Matthew 7:17)