08/13/2026
đź‘‘ The Kingdom Principle
ABIDING
Fruit Is the Evidence, Not the Goal
Has anyone ever walked up to an apple tree and told it to try harder?
That tree has never attended a conference on fruit production. It doesn't set quarterly goals or stay up at night reading books on how to apple more effectively. It simply produces apples.
Why? Because it is an apple tree, quietly drawing nourishment from soil and sun it cannot see.
The fruit is not the tree’s goal; it is the beautiful, natural overflow of its health.
And yet, I have spent so much of my life living like spiritual fruit is something I have to manufacture. I focus on the fruit. I stress about the fruit. I compare my small, hidden fruit to other people’s very visible fruit. And I wonder if you’ve felt that same exhausting weight.
Jesus said it so tenderly: "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit."
The abiding comes first. The fruit comes second.
You and I cannot reverse the order without collapsing into burnout.
The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness—none of this is produced by gritting our teeth and trying harder to be more loving or more patient.
It grows when we concentrate on the Vine. When you abide, love naturally flows, because He is Love. Peace settles your soul, because He is Peace. Patience rises within you, because He has been so endlessly patient with you.
So here is a gentle invitation for your weary heart: stop staring at your branches, anxiously looking for fruit.
Lift your eyes to the Vine. Fix your gaze on Jesus. The fruit will take care of itself, because He is the faithful Gardener, and He will complete what He has planted in you. 🍎
