Fruity Deliciousness

So, this thought process was prodded out of me somewhat randomly by a comment a friend of mine made about her weekend. She mentioned something she had heard about the fruits of the Spirit and how they are fruits, not achievements. They are a natural consequence of abiding, not the end result of striving.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (I think that is all of them, though I usually miss one. I am too lazy to check, however, even though it would have taken less time to check that to write out my thought process here in these parentheses). These are the fruits of the Spirit. These are the natural consequences of abiding in the Lord. It is odd to me, because these are very good things to desire, and yet, in order to bear these fruits we must abide, not strive. It is a language of endurance, not of attacking.
This reminds me of Ephesians 6 where Paul is talking about the full armor of God. He says we have armor to "be able to stand against (V:11)," and, "To withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm (V:13)." The language is defensive. Even the Sword of the Spirit is listed under the heading and general topic of armor. And we know that armor is used to protect, it is a defensive tool, not an offensive one. Indeed, it seems to be the case that God wants to be the one to act. This is not surprising. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only be silent." It is for the Lord to act, to fight, to win. We need only to "Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)." We must put on the armor He has given us so that we can endure, stand firm, and abide in Him. We must trust in God, in His promises, in all He has given us. Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife, he did not stay and try to fight. First Corinthians talks of temptations we and reminds us that God "will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13)." There is a way out of every temptation. We must resist (which can only be accomplished through God, with His power, which comes from the armor in Ephesians (such as faith and the Word)), and let God do the action of creating the escape. And we must grab hold of that chance, run, and let God continue to battle sin and achieve victory over it for us. So over and over we get this langauge of letting God do it while we stand. Salvation is the perfect example. It is not by my works or anything at all of me, but only by God's work in Christ that I may be saved. God had the plan, God did the work, dying on the cross to become the propitiation for my sins, and God gave me the faith to believe and see the truth. And sanctification continues by faith, trusting God and abiding in Him, finding satisfaction with all that God is for us in Jesus. All of these examples point to abiding in Him rather than striving by our own effort.
I realize that Paul also uses more active language: Straining towards the goal, running with endurance, and others like these. But all of these still seem to point to mere perserverence, not an all out offensive. And we know we can only perservere by the continuing grace of God to renew His mercies every day, including His love for us, His grace, and the faith He has given us. We need to continue to seek Him and grow in our knowledge and love of Him. But again, all of these things are FROM Him!
So this brings me back to the fruits. I know that I strive for them. I think of them as the rewards and achievements I gain as I labor one. But this striving is no good. The desire to possess these things is a good one! They are to be earnestly desired, and the fact that we want them is a testament to the power of GOd changing out hearts and minds! But it is the 'how' that gets me here.
The biggest thing I see myself striving for is love. It is so necessary and crucial for the life I want to lead. I have written a lot before about how much I want to love. But the way I go about trying to obtain this increase in love is to try and change myself. I work hard at it and hope to achieve it, often times on my own. But it is a fruit of the Spirit that comes from abiding in the Lord. I need to seek first His kingdom and glory and trust that it, along with all else, will be added to me (Matthew 6:33). The only way the fruit of love (and all the others, all of which I am lacking) will increase in me will be for me to remain rooted deeply in God (catch the plant metaphor? Clever, eh?). I need to be deeply entrenched in His word, in prayer, growing in faith and in my knowledge f Him and love for Him. I need to rely on His strength, His power, and in that way, and only that way, will anything good grow. There is no way to magically materialize fruit in my hand (or life). Trees grow and produce fruit through much work. There is a need for light, for food, water, and pruning. I heard once that in pruning trees and bushes people will often cut off a healthy branch so that the plant as a whole might thrive and grow stronger. So this process of abiding (Literally to wait, endure without yielding, or bear patiently) and growing is going to include what might seem like setbacks (good branches getting pruned back), but we can know that in the end it is for the good of the tree (me) so that the fruit will grow bigger, better, and more fully.
I like to strive. I hate pity, so I like to earn things, or at least feel like I do. To strive after things is an easy way to do that. But that is not what it is all about. It is about being "rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17)." Love for God, His word, and His creation. And the natural progression from that is fruit. And it will come, bigger and better than I can imagine. And all of this is from God, a gift, so no one can boast. Just as salvation is His, so too is all the good that comes from those whom He has saved. And all of this is "to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6)." It is according to His good, perfect, and pleasing will. It is not my accomplishment, not my achievement, it is all His. And that is amazing.