The key to bearing spiritual fruit

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

September 17th Sermon, Day 5

Throughout this week, we've seen that the fruit of the Spirit isn't produced through our own striving but through our connection to Jesus. The final key to understanding spiritual fruit is surrender.

Just as a branch doesn't decide when or how to produce fruit—it simply receives life from the vine—we cannot force spiritual fruit to appear in our lives through determination alone. No amount of trying harder will produce the love, joy, peace, and other qualities that mark Christ's character.

Instead, bearing fruit comes through surrender. It's about saying "no" to our own desires and "yes" to God's will. It's about turning our eyes away from distractions and fixing them firmly on Jesus. It's about daily submission to the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

The beautiful paradox of the Christian life is that we find freedom through surrender, strength through weakness, and fruitfulness through dependence. When we stop trying to produce fruit on our own and instead focus on remaining connected to Jesus, we discover that His life naturally flows through us.

As we conclude this devotional series, remember that spiritual growth isn't about perfection but direction. Are you becoming more like Jesus? Is His life increasingly evident in yours? That's the miracle of bearing spiritual fruit.

Bible Verse

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

Reflection Question

What area of your life do you need to surrender more fully to God so that His Spirit can produce more fruit through you?

Quote

It's not about how can I try harder, it's about how can I more fully surrender.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I surrender my striving and control to You today. Forgive me for trying to produce spiritual fruit through my own efforts. I want to remain connected to Jesus, the true vine, and allow Your Spirit to work freely in my life. Help me to turn my eyes upon Jesus daily and to find my identity and purpose in Him alone. May His life shine more brightly through mine. Amen.

Why is gentleness a spiritual “gift”?

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

September 17th Sermon, Day 4

When we think of gentleness, we might picture something soft, weak, or passive. But the gentleness of Christ—the gentleness the Spirit produces in us—is actually strength under control.

Jesus described Himself as "gentle and humble in heart." This was not a weakness in His character but a deliberate choice to harness His immense power and authority for the good of others. The One who could command the wind and waves chose to speak tenderly to the broken. The One who could call down legions of angels chose to touch lepers with compassion.

When the Holy Spirit develops gentleness in us, He's teaching us to use our strength, abilities, knowledge, and influence not to dominate others but to serve them. Gentleness means responding to provocation with calm rather than anger, speaking truth with love rather than harshness, and treating fragile people with care rather than impatience.

In a world that often equates power with force and volume, Spirit-produced gentleness stands out. It's countercultural to respond to hostility with kindness, to criticism with patience, and to weakness with support. Yet this is exactly how Jesus responded to the broken world around Him.

Bible Verse

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:29

Reflection Question

In what relationship or situation might God be calling you to display strength through gentleness rather than through force or control?

Quote

Gentleness, not to be mistaken, with weakness. Gentleness is strength under control.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your perfect example of gentleness. Help me to see that true strength isn't about dominating others but about harnessing my power to serve them. In situations where I'm tempted to be harsh or forceful, give me Your gentle spirit. May I reflect Your character in how I treat others, especially those who are vulnerable or difficult. Amen.

Having the joy of Christ

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

September 17th Sermon, Day 3

Joy is often confused with happiness, but they're not the same thing. Happiness depends on favorable circumstances, while joy runs deeper—it's a confident trust in God regardless of our situation.

Jesus demonstrated this kind of joy even as He faced the cross. Hebrews tells us that "for the joy set before him he endured the cross." This wasn't a surface-level happiness but a profound confidence in God's purposes and promises.

When the Holy Spirit produces joy in us, it doesn't mean we'll always feel happy or that we won't experience sadness. Rather, it means that underneath our changing emotions is a steady current of confidence in God's goodness and faithfulness.

This joy becomes most evident not when life is easy, but when we face challenges. When we can still praise God in the midst of difficulty, when we can maintain hope during disappointment, when we can find reasons to be thankful even in pain—that's when Christ's joy is being manifested in us.

As we fix our eyes on Jesus and remember His faithfulness, the Spirit cultivates this deep, abiding joy that transcends our circumstances and points others to the source of our strength.

Bible Verse

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2

Reflection Question

What current situation in your life feels joy-depleting, and how might focusing on Jesus rather than your circumstances restore your joy?

Quote

The joy of Christ that the Spirit plants in us is this deep gladness that comes from knowing him and trusting in his purposes.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling joy even in the face of suffering. When my circumstances threaten to steal my joy, help me to find it again in You. Plant Your deep gladness in my heart that comes not from perfect conditions but from knowing and trusting You. May my joy in difficult times be a witness to others of Your goodness. Amen.

How to love like Jesus

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

September 17th Sermon, Day 2

Of all the fruit of the Spirit, love comes first for a reason. It's the foundation from which all other spiritual qualities grow. But the love described here isn't just warm feelings or romantic notions—it's the radical, self-giving love that Jesus demonstrated throughout His life and ultimately at the cross.

This love costs something. It requires sacrifice. It means putting others before ourselves, even when it's difficult or inconvenient. It means loving those who may seem unlovable by the world's standards.

When we struggle to love others, we're often trying to manufacture this love from our own limited supply. But the beautiful truth is that we don't have to generate this love ourselves. The Holy Spirit produces Christ's love in us and through us as we surrender to Him.

Think about how Jesus loved—He washed the feet of His disciples, touched those considered untouchable, forgave those who betrayed Him, and ultimately gave His life for us while we were still sinners. This is the kind of love the Spirit wants to cultivate in us—not as something we achieve, but as something we receive and then pass on to others.

Bible Verse

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35

Reflection Question

Who in your life seems difficult to love right now, and how might seeing them through Jesus' eyes change your perspective and actions toward them?

Quote

The kind of love we see Jesus exhibit—that we’re to emulate—is self sacrificial, self giving love. It's the kind of love that actually costs you something.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your love is so much greater than mine. Fill me with Your Spirit so that Jesus' love can flow through me to others—especially those I find difficult to love. Help me to see others as You see them and to love sacrificially as Christ loved us. Amen.

How to begin growing spiritually

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

September 17th Sermon, Day 1

When we look at the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians, we often see it as a checklist of virtues to develop. But what if we've been looking at it all wrong? What if these qualities aren't a to-do list but rather a portrait of someone we already know?

The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—is actually a description of Jesus Christ himself. Each characteristic reveals an aspect of His perfect character. When the Holy Spirit works in our lives, He isn't trying to make us better versions of ourselves; He's transforming us to reflect Jesus.

This changes everything about how we approach spiritual growth. Instead of striving to be more loving or patient through sheer willpower, we're invited into a relationship with the One who perfectly embodies these qualities. As we spend time with Jesus, we naturally begin to look more like Him.

Just as an apple tree doesn't strain to produce apples—it simply does what it was created to do when properly nourished—we don't need to force spiritual fruit in our lives. We simply need to stay connected to the source of that fruit: Jesus Christ.

Bible Verse

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." - John 15:4-5

Reflection Question

In what areas of your life have you been trying to produce spiritual fruit through your own efforts rather than through connection with Jesus?

Quote

The fruit of the Spirit is not a to do list of things to do to make yourself a better Christian. The fruit of the Spirit is actually a portrait of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I've tried to produce spiritual fruit on my own. Help me to remain connected to You, the true vine, and allow Your life to flow through me. I surrender my striving and invite Your Spirit to transform me from the inside out. Amen.