Conclusion: A Fruitful Life

Congratulations! You’ve spent 30 days learning about fruit, not the kind you eat, but the kind God grows in your life.

You started with the most important truth of all: Jesus is the Vine and you are a branch. You can’t grow good fruit on your own, but when you stay connected to Him, His life flows into you.

You looked at each part of the fruit of the Spirit: love that acts, joy that goes deeper than happiness, peace in the storm, patience that waits, kindness that goes out of its way, goodness that doesn’t give up, faithfulness in little things, gentleness that turns away anger and self-control that guards the walls. You saw how humility is the soil they all grow in.

You learned how powerful your words are: to tell the truth, build people up, stop grumbling, refuse gossip and listen well. You practiced heart habits: respect, thankfulness, hard work, contentment, generosity and guarding your heart. And you learned about being wise, pure and honest, even when no one is watching.

That’s a lot! And maybe right now you’re thinking, I’m not very good at a lot of those. That’s okay. Nobody is, at least not yet. Remember, fruit grows slowly. An apple tree doesn’t produce a full harvest in a month. What matters is that you’re connected to the Vine, and that you keep growing.

If you haven’t trusted Jesus yet

If you’ve never become a branch on the Vine, you can today. You can’t make yourself good enough for God. But Jesus died for your sins and rose again, and He offers you a new heart as a gift. You can pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know I have sinned, and I can’t change my heart on my own. I believe You died for me and rose again. I trust You as my Savior and I want to follow You as my Lord. Please make me new and help me grow Your fruit. Amen.

If you prayed that, tell someone who loves Jesus, so they can celebrate with you and help you grow!

What’s next

Here’s something every gardener knows: storms come. Wind blows, rain pours, heat beats down. A healthy tree has to be strong enough to stand through all of it.

In Book 4, you’ll learn how to stand strong in the storms of life: when you’re afraid, worried or sad, when you’re tempted, and when life doesn’t seem fair. You’ll meet people like David, Daniel, Joseph and Esther, who stood strong because they trusted God. And you’ll discover that nothing can separate you from His love.

Until then, keep your roots deep, stay connected to the Vine and let His fruit grow.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

— Philippians 1:9–11 (BSB)