Keep On “Bearing Much Fruit”
1 Using symbolic terms, Jesus represented himself as the true vine, his Father as the Cultivator, and his spirit-anointed followers as productive branches of the vine. In describing the work of the symbolic Cultivator, Jesus emphasized the importance of remaining strongly attached to the vine. (John 15:1-4) The lesson is that everyone having a close personal relationship with Jehovah must be like a fruitful branch of the “true vine,” Jesus Christ. We must keep on producing abundantly both “the fruitage of the spirit” and Kingdom fruitage.—Gal. 5:22, 23; Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20.
2 Fruitage of the Spirit: Our spiritual progress can be measured largely by the extent that we manifest the fruitage of the spirit. Do you work at cultivating the fruitage of God’s spirit by regularly studying and meditating on God’s Word? (Phil. 1:9-11) Do not hesitate to pray for holy spirit, which can produce qualities that glorify Jehovah and that promote continued spiritual progress.—Luke 11:13; John 13:35.
3 Cultivating the fruitage of the spirit will also help us to be more zealous ministers. For example, love and faith move us to make room in our busy schedule to share regularly in the ministry. Qualities such as peace, long-suffering, kindness, mildness, and self-control help us to react properly to opposers. Joy enables us to find satisfaction in the ministry even when people are unresponsive.
4 Kingdom Fruitage: We also want to bear Kingdom fruitage. That includes offering “a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to [Jehovah’s] name.” (Heb. 13:15) We do this by zealously and steadfastly proclaiming the good news. Are you endeavoring to bear more Kingdom fruitage by improving your personal ministry?
5 Jesus indicated that his faithful followers would bear different amounts of fruit. (Matt. 13:23) Therefore, we should not compare ourselves with others but give to Jehovah our best. (Gal. 6:4) An honest self-examination of our personal circumstances in the light of God’s Word will help us to continue glorifying Jehovah by “bearing much fruit.”—John 15:8.