How to Bear Fruit When You Feel Worn and Weary
We set a vase of wildflowers on the table last week, and they felt like tangible beacons of joy. I gazed at them while I made the morning coffee and prayed about how to bear fruit amid these energetic summer days—days with all three children home and many needs surrounding me.
After the coffee was brewed, I read the following words:
“And seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, He went to see if He could find any fruit on it. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come” (Mark 11:13, AMP).
I’ve always been intrigued by what Jesus did next.
He cursed the tree, and the tree never again bore fruit.
I spent years assuming this was a story about Jesus being hungry and having a bad day.
Yet this story isn’t really about Jesus feeling hungry. It’s more about bearing fruit as believers. Jesus was teaching his followers not to put on facades of religiousness while failing to carry true love and kindness into the world. He was frustrated with Jewish leaders who appeared to be godly but bore no fruit.
This is a lesson for us today as well.
It’s easy to put on a pretty façade but fail to be godly when it matters.
How to Bear Fruit When You’re Weary
What might it look like for us to bear fruit even when we’re worn down and weary?
First, let’s explore some examples of fruit-bearing. Then, we’ll talk about practical ways to bear good fruit.
Examples of Fruit-Bearing
What does it look like to bear fruit in our everyday places?
Galatians 5:22-23 reads: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (NIV).
Most of us want to live with love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness, but it’s much easier said than done.
Let’s break down this verse, discuss a few of these “fruits,” and learn how to cultivate them.
1. We bear the fruit of love even when we don’t feel especially loving.
Love is an action more than a feeling.
Love looks like setting our plans aside to help friends in need. We bear the fruit of love when we care for our families, take the time to listen to hurting friends, and give our time and resources to others even when love requires sacrifice.
Only God can make us more loving.
If we lean on willpower to become more loving, we will quickly become frustrated. No amount of willpower can change a heart and produce love. This is something God must birth within us. Have you ever noticed that trying to be loving in difficult situations only works for so long?
Like every other characteristic listed in Galatians 5:22, we cannot produce love in our human strength.
We need God to work in our hearts and change us from the inside out. This happens as we spend time with him. Through intimacy with him, God shapes us to become more loving people. We’ll talk more about cultivating this intimacy shortly.
2. We bear the fruit of joy by taking ourselves less seriously.
I like to think of cultivating joy as loosening up. Here’s a recent example of how my daughter taught me to cultivate joy and lighten up:
I’m pounding out words on the computer when sweet Bekah bounces off the school bus. She careens through the door and makes a bee-line straight for the bathroom.
“Oh, sweet boy,” she giggles from the bathroom in the hallway. I wonder what toy or note she found from her little brother in the bathroom.
Five minutes later, she prances into the living room, and I ask what led to the remark.
“Caleb left his potty seat on the toilet and the stool pushed right up to the toilet. He closed the big toilet seat like that’s how the bathroom’s supposed to look,” she explains.
That’s it? I wonder. She saw the mess her little brother left and responded with joy?
I sit in silence and consider the lesson I might learn from my child. How would my life be different if I loosened up? I’m quick to snap in anger when life doesn’t go my way.
How would my life be different if I didn’t get worked up over the driver who cuts me off in traffic, long lines at the grocery store, and messes from my kids?
Perhaps it’s time we stop grumbling about the messes other people leave for us and the interruptions to our schedules. Maybe we should learn to say, “Oh, sweet boy,” a little more often.
Joy is always found in letting go of my desire for control and learning to find a reason to give thanks when life isn’t perfect.
3. We bear the fruit of peace when we remain focused on Jesus.
Isaiah 26:3 reminds us that God gives peace to those who keep their thoughts fixed on him.
We cultivate the fruit of peace by keeping our eyes on Jesus.
When life is going well, we thank Jesus. When life goes off the rails, we look to Jesus.
I’ve also learned that thanking God for the people he places in my life helps me live in peace. I follow Bekah’s example for joy and peace. By giving thanks for the people in my life instead of grumbling about them, I step into God’s peace.
4. We bear the fruit of patience when we lean into God’s compassion.
A while back, a friend told me about a story she recently read in a book. A man was irritated as he made his way home on the subway. The tired father sitting across from him was unable to control his unruly children, and the kids were bouncing off the walls.
Just as the man was about to say something to the father who was exerting no control over his children, the father looked him in the eye and thanked him for his grace.
The family was on their way home from their mother’s funeral. The forlorn father had no emotional energy to contain his children. The sweet little ones were emotionally regulating with a much-needed energy release.
We often don’t know what’s going on in the lives of those who offend us or annoy us. What if instead of being angry, we exuded patience?
I’ve learned to cultivate patience by asking God to fill me with his compassion for others and give me his heart of love for them. When we act from compassion, we bear the fruit of patience.
The Secret for Fruit-Bearing
Now that we’ve looked at a few examples of fruit-bearing, let’s talk about how to bear fruit.
The simple answer is this: The key to bearing good fruit is staying closely connected to Jesus.
We ask him to fill us with his love for others, and we live from the overflow of his love as it pours through us. By asking the Lord to change us from the inside out, we let his love transform us into loving people.
The key to bearing good fruit in our lives is staying closely connected to Jesus. #bearingfruit #followingJesus #Jesus Share on XI have learned that if I fail to spend time with Jesus in the secret place daily, I often fail to bear good fruit throughout the day. Abiding in Jesus is the secret to bearing fruit in our lives (John 15).
Now, let’s look at how to bear fruit according to Scripture.
How to Bear Fruit: 7 Practical and Biblical Ways
1. We learn how to bear fruit by hiding God’s Word in our hearts.
I have treasured Your word in my heart,
So that I may not sin against You.
Psalm 119:11, NASB
One practical way to become a fruit-bearing person is to commit to memorizing Scripture.
Why does this work?
God’s Word is alive. When we fill our minds with this Living Word, the Holy Spirit works within us to transform us. We become more like Jesus. As a result, we begin to act more like Jesus.
2. We stay closely connected to Jesus and let him empower us.
Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
John 15:4
Here are several practical ways to connect with Jesus so that our lives will bear fruit:
Spend a few minutes worshiping him in song each morning.
Commit to reading the Bible for even a few minutes each day, aiming to encounter the Living God during this time.
Talk to Jesus as you go about the day. If necessary, write notes or set a timer on your phone to remind yourself to pause and look to him.
Make time to rest in Jesus’ love every day. This might look like lying in your bed and imagining his arms around you, sitting by a window and imagining him sitting with you, or speaking a life-giving Bible verse over your life throughout the days.
Click here for 10 creative ways to connect with God.
3. We don’t gratify the flesh; instead, we live according to the Spirit.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Romans 13:14
The flesh is the part of us that is human and filled with human longings, which often oppose God’s ways. The flesh leads us to act out in anger, succumb to temptations of all sorts, and focus on ourselves.
We are told to make no provision for the flesh. In other words, we are to push aside the flesh and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.
We cannot bear good fruit apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Turn away from the flesh and refuse to give in to temptation. In the process, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and work in your life to bear good fruit.
4. We walk in the light and keep no hidden sins.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Are your confessions up to date?
It isn’t easy, but I regularly confess my sins out loud alongside my two closest friends. We don’t have to confess our sins to other people, but we do need to confess them to God. I’ve discovered that confessing alongside my friends leads to even deeper transformation as they encourage me and help hold me accountable.
I encourage you to talk to God before you fall asleep each night.
Ask him to show you any sins you need to confess from the day and see if he brings anything to mind. If any sinful moments, come to mind, confess them to God. Receive his forgiveness and repent, turning away from the behavior and turning toward God.
5. We ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with power.
…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.
Acts 1:8
We bear good fruit by staying in step with the Holy Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you as you go into the world and carry God’s love. This is a prayer he will answer.
6. We make knowing Jesus our greatest goal in life.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ…
Philippians 3:8
What is your greatest pursuit in life?
If knowing Jesus is your greatest goal, you will ultimately bear good fruit. As you come to know him more closely, Jesus will change your heart. He will empower you to share his love and compassion with others. In the process, you will bear good fruit.
7. We ask God to help us love others fervently.
Since you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from the heart…
1 Peter 1:22
Some people are hard to love. Sometimes, even our own family members are hard to love.
Ask God to fill you with his love for the people in your life. Ask him to help you love your grumpy boss, overly talkative coworker, or challenging relative. Make it a habit to pray for the people who are difficult, and God will fill you with his love.
I pray these insights have helped you on your journey of learning how to bear fruit.
As for me, I gaze at the vase of wildflowers, and I’m reminded that others will be drawn to the Lord through me when joy exudes from me. This is how we carry Christ’s joy and let our lights shine in the darkness.
A Free Gift to Help You Find More Joy and Bear More Fruit:
I have a gift for you today. Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot is my new 10-day free online devotional. We will explore ten common areas in which most of us long for God to set us free. We’ll talk about finding freedom from bad habits, besetting sins, fear, worry, insecurity, and more. Get yours for free with promo code GRACE right here.
These books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books! You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.
