Orchards and vineyards don’t just happen. They must be planted, tended, pruned, and cultivated. The fruit of the Holy Spirit must be cultivated. It doesn’t just grow wild in an untended heart. The fruit of the Spirit is the character of God and needs to be intentionally cultivated by how we tend to our heart and mind.

God wants your heart to be a fruitful orchard, not a field overrun by weeds. Let the living Jesus be an orchard in your heart, not just a teaching in your mind. If your roots aren’t deep into the risen Jesus, neither will your fruit be.

When Christians neglect to daily focus on the risen Jesus, we become like an abandoned orchard. We are called to be the branches in God’s orchard that bear good fruit from the vine of the living Jesus. See John 14.

An unguarded mind will be harassed by unwelcome thoughts; an unguarded heart, hassled by unwelcome emotions. There are some things that you can’t control, but your mind isn’t one of them. It’s ironic that many people who lack self-control spend a lot of their time trying to control other people.

Humility is underrated. Maybe we should celebrate it with a humility month by putting other people ahead of self.