“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” ––Galatians 5:22-23a, NIV
Have you ever looked at the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—and thought, There’s no way I can live up to all of that?
If you have, you are not alone. Billy Graham once explained that we are not meant to produce these fruits on our own. We are too weak, too distracted, too self-reliant. But instead, these fruits are things that the Holy Spirit produces in us when we surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ.
In his devotional, Hope For Each Day, Billy Graham gave a simple but powerful analogy: even a healthy fruit tree won’t produce a full crop if the soil isn’t nourished and the pests aren’t dealt with. The same is true for us.
What distractions, attitudes, or habits might be choking the fruit God wants to grow in your life? Maybe this is the reminder you’ve been needing—not to try harder, but to go deeper.
At The Cove, we’ve seen how getting away for a time of quiet reflection can help prepare the soil of your heart. Through our Personal Spiritual Retreats, you can slow down, spend time in Scripture, and invite the Holy Spirit to renew and refresh you from the inside out.
Visit thecove.org/events to learn more and plan your retreat today.