About 2 years ago my husband lost 40 pounds.

He was crazy determined (the monetary prize didn’t hurt), and he had decided that it was time to be healthier. It was time to take charge of his body and make it obedient to him instead of the other way around.

The funny thing was – nobody even noticed he had lost any weight until he was down 25 pounds. I think part of that was because we didn’t buy him any new clothes until then either.

I was pondering on that time the other day, and it made me think.

Why did we wait until he had lost the weight to buy new clothes?

I mean, that could have been a motivating factor, right? But he didn’t see it that way. He wanted to make sure he had made the changes and it was going to stick before he got a new wardrobe.

He also understood that buying new jeans didn’t make him healthier. Buying new jeans didn’t increase his aerobic or anaerobic capacity. And buying new jeans didn’t make him any smaller.

You see – he didn’t automatically just become smaller because he bought smaller clothing.

The same is true in so many areas of life – changing the outward appearance doesn’t change the inside person. So, why is it that we continuously try to “be” better people?

Stick with me here. Check out these verses:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. ..”   – Galatians 5:22-23

So many times I’ve read those verses and thought, “Man, I sure don’t measure up. I’ve got to do something about that.” Then I commence trying to have more joy. Trying to be kinder to others. Trying to be gentler and have more self-control.

In my mind, it has always been that if those things represent the fruit of the spirit, and I have Christ in me, then I should act that way.

Well, about a year ago I decided I was all wrong.

Wait! Wait! Wait! Don’t stop reading.

Don’t misunderstand me. In no way am I saying that I shouldn’t live that way. That I shouldn’t reflect those very characteristics that demonstrate Christ in me.

What I AM saying is that I need to lose the weight before I go buying new jeans.

Just like with my husband who had to allow changes to happen on the inside of him first before his outward appearance would change. The same truth could be applied to our spiritual lives as well.

The fruits of the spirit are produced by a person that is connected to the source.

A person who is connected to God.

Jesus Himself had this to say –

“I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” – John 15:5.

When I try to be nicer, kinder, gentler, etc. on my own efforts, I fail every time. God wants us to connect to Him – to the vine – and allow him to supply us with all the resources and nourishment we need to produce good fruit.

Have you ever broken a branch off a tree, brought it in the house for the winter, and then harvested tons of fruit from of it come spring? Of course not! The branch dies when it’s no longer attached to the tree – there’s no hope getting fruit there – it can’t do it.

The same is true for us. God wants us to stay connected and stop trying to break free.

God wants to change us on the inside first.

Once we do that – then our lives can’t help but BE different. We WILL produce the fruit of the spirit. We will be kinder and gentler, and we will have more peace and joy.

So…before you go buying new jeans – let your body change from the inside first. And before you just go trying to be a better person on your own, let God change you from the inside first.

Your DoAhead Friend,

Adrian