Bearing Fruit on Bare Minimum Days

Repent, Remain, Rejoice

Once upon a time when my three children were all under the age of five, most days were bare minimum days—brew the coffee, feed the toddlers, rock the baby, and survive ‘til five when my husband got home.

Now I’m making from scratch sourdough tortillas, reading Wind and the Willows aloud in the afternoon, writing a lot more, volunteering at a girls club, staying up late on weekends to hang out with my husband, and getting to church on time only a few minutes late.

We’ve all got those bare minimum seasons. We’re human, after all. Even with the help of our village and the hope of a better tomorrow, sometimes we’re spread thin in the thick of it.

I remember feeling so defeated when in those early days of motherhood—the bare minimum days. I barely had the energy to pray more than “Lord, help me…please.” My efforts felt so small. Looking back, I see how those small steps of faith were sustained by God’s great faithfulness. I see how those steps led me to where I am today. One day while rocking my youngest to sleep, a beautiful truth flooded my heart. Even on my bare minimum days of motherhood, I can still bear fruit by simply abiding in Christ.

With the mind of Christ and a heart of praise, we can bear good fruit, even on our bare minimum days.

Photo by Alan Cabello

How do we gain a rich life in God that bears good fruit in every season?

Allow me to encourage you with three simple words: Repent. Remain. Rejoice.

Repent

“Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance.” —Matthew 3:8 CSB

“When was the last time you grieved over your sin?”

That was the question the preacher asked on Sunday. The sanctuary was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Don’t you love when the Word of God convicts, increasing your desire for Christ even more?

We know God’s kindness leads us to repentance. And I would say His grace enables us to grieve our sin.

“The Christian who has stopped repenting has stopped growing.” —A.W. Pink

Our love for Him should produce words of repentance on our lips and steps of repentance in our lives. Repentance is an on-going process in the life of the believer. And if we want to keep growing in our faith, we must keep repenting of our sin.

Remain

“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” —John 15:4-5 CSB

We can remain with Jesus even in the mundane moments of life. We remain while rocking children or wrestling with unanswered questions. We remain while preaching, writing, or small talk with strangers. We remain while mopping floors or drying tears. We remain in Jesus each and every single day. We remain in His word, we remain in His presence, we remain in His peace, and we remain steadfast in the hope of eternal glory. And on the days when remaining feels like a struggle, we know that the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers us to take another small step of faith—that means we ask for the Spirit’s help every single day. After all, we can’t produce the fruit of the Spirit without help from the Spirit¹.

“Our abiding in Jesus is even more than a fellowship of love—it is a fellowship of life.”
― Andrew Murray, Abide In Christ

Rejoice

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:4-7 CSB

You know when it’s hard for me to rejoice? When I’m anxiously awaiting my next season to arrive because it seems like that next season will be so much better than my current season. Sure, I get more sleep these days than I did with toddlers running around the house, but every season of parenting has its highs and lows. And so it goes with life. The danger lies in our perception of time and perspective of life. If we idolize our next season, we ignore our now season.

So may we resist idolizing the next season of our life, because doing so steals our joy for today. Yes, rejoice in this day because it’s good for the soul and glorifies God. Or as scripture says—rejoice always!

"When you cannot rejoice in feelings, circumstances or conditions, rejoice in the Lord." —A. B. Simpson

Rejoicing always reorients our hearts to the true peace found only in Christ.

Rejoicing always reorients our minds to the knowledge that Christ has defeated death.

Rejoicing always reorients our lives to the very certain truth of the Gospel—our King is coming back.

Rejoicing always is a way of life.

Repent. Remain. Rejoice.

Even on our bare minimum days we can bear good fruit when we repent for our sin, remain in Christ, and rejoice in the day that the Lord has made.

Repent. Remain. Rejoice. And watch fruit come forth.

Grace and Peace,

Audra

1. Want to read more about Holy Spirit help? Click here.