03/11/2026
We have been opening the Fruit of the Spirit in our Monday afternoon bible study! 3.30 at the Ulysses Free Methodist Church.
The secret to growing in Christlikeness is by abiding in Christ.
It sounds so simple, and yet we forget it all the time.
All too often, instead of running to Jesus first with the problems we have in life, we run elsewhere:
- If we're struggling in marriage, we try secular counseling.
- If we're struggling with p**n, we try locking our devices.
- If we're struggling with anger, we visit a therapist.
Those things aren't necessarily wrong, nor are they necessarily always unhelpful. Jesus did tell us to take practical and radical steps toward fighting sin, such as plucking out our eye (Matt. 5:29), so there is a real place for these things.
But we can't expect methods, systems, and products to be the primary solution to our sin problems. Only Jesus is.
Listen to these words from Jesus closely: "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me" (John 15:5).
If you want to do nothing and see no heart change, don't go to Jesus.
But the next time you find yourself battling your flesh, remind yourself: run to Jesus, and you will produce much fruit. That's a promise from Jesus himself.
As it's been said, what we run from is just as important as what we run to.
