What It Takes To Produce Fruit (Cultivating Faith)
To have a product, there must be action. For an outcome, there must be an occurrence.
We can’t merely hold onto a dream and expect it to materialize. Or hold love in and expect it to minister to someone.
A seed must be planted to grow fruit.
A nail must be driven to build a house.
A sport must be practiced to be perfected.
Love must be extended to be received.
In other words, action must be taken to produce fruit. 
Cultivating Faith
Even in our spiritual lives, growth requires … something. An open heart. A submissive spirit. An open hand to receive and let go.
Faith is a gift, given freely. But acting out that faith—living that faith—involves intentionality.
Faith is a gift, given freely. But acting out that faith—living that faith—involves intentionality. Click To Tweet
Just as a tomato seed needs nourishment to grow and produce fruit, so does our faith.
What a miracle it is for that seed to sprout, growing into a new life–a life that belongs to Him.
How beautiful it is as we blossom in our faith, bringing beauty and joy to all who draw near to us.
How sweet the reward as others receive our fruit, the fruit of our faith, fed and watered–given the right form of nourishment in the Word, worship, prayer, and the Sacraments.
Don’t expect your faith to grow if you starve it. Feed and water it, then open your hand and your heart to share its produce.
Don't expect your faith to grow if you starve it. Feed and water it, then open your hand and your heart to share its produce. Click To Tweet
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).
Reflections: What’s your “go-to” way to nourish your faith: through song, prayer, worship, being in the Word, etc.?
Linking with Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience in 2013 with my Joy Dare list for Multitude Mondays (#1914–1934, read the entire list by clicking here):
- Another good doctor report for Zach; Spending an enjoyable day one-on-one w/ my second oldest; Personable caring doctors
- Having an extended family bonded by love & commitment; Simple things in life: sunrise, conversations, time together; You
- Raspberry cream pie–yum!; Promise of a better place after death for all believers; Sweetest aunt ever
- Munching black raspberries, mulberries, even turnips on our land; Breeze to temper the heat; Often-taken-4-granted freezer
- Vacation plans falling in place–exciting; Finally chatted w/ my oldest for more than 2 min.; Joey getting over the flu
- A boy that makes me smile when I don’t want to; A hubby committed to providing for his family; A God who provided it all
- Reliving events of @LCMSNYG thru slideshow @ church; Rach insisting we wog in the drizzle–fun!; Creamed garden peas!
Also linking with the following wonderful site:
By His grace ≈
Julie
Find hope in your real-life struggles. We'll chase it together! I am a wife; mom of 4 (including a young adult daughter with special needs); miscarriage mom of 5; author & follower of Jesus Christ. I write, edit, speak and enjoy everything outdoors.
I love this, “Don’t expect your faith to grow if you starve it.” It should be a Tweetable. Julie, why don’t you add Tweetables using https://clicktotweet.com/. All you do is copy and paste (use “Control V” to paste, or it won’t work). I was on the same “fruit” wave this week on a different subject. 🙂 Blessings!
I used to add Tweetables through that site, but it didn’t seem to get much use, so I quit. Maybe I’ll begin again. Grateful to be sharing the topic with someone like you, Marisa.
Likewise, Julie. Blessings!
Hi Julie, I enjoyed your post. It is so easy to make faith complicated that we fail to act. We have plant those small seeds each day. We need to focus on what we have and not what we lack. My faith is strengthened by worship, prayer and Word, but it is the Word where I often start.
I turn to prayer often, and the Word daily. However, I tend to find my faith strengthened most by the Divine worship service.
Our faith grows as we walk with Jesus, as we live for Him, and work for Him. Our next door neighbors had their moped-type scooter stolen this morning. She made a sign and set it out by the curb.”To whoever stole my scooter, God bless you, You need Him.” Because of this, I gathered the courage to invite them to our church’s revival this weekend.
I love your neighbors heart, Cecelia, and your’s! So often we would seek revenge. Way to reach out and share the fruit of your faith.
That is an incredible testimony of the fruit of love we are all called to live out. Thanks for sharing Cecelia.