The Fruitful Life

Good price for the book, I got a pretty used copy with notes and highlighting on every page… but I don’t mind, as I read it I’ll have another’s perspective on the topic

I was not disappointed with Bridges' Scripture-laden study on the fruit of the Spirit. Devotion to God is the only reason we can and should seek to bear fruit. I agree with Bridges statement that all too often our motives are self-centered: worrying about what others might think of us, or feeling good about ourselves personally. We can even be acting on ethics or morals, yet not truly out of sole devotion to God. One lesson that God has been teaching me personally over and over again lately is humility. Bridges starts his book off with the virtue of humility, stating that bearing fruit starts with an attitude of humility. The more I think about his hypothesis the more I agree that humility is the central virtue necessary for bearing fruit. In order to act in love, we must put others before ourselves. In order to live a self-controlled life, we must realize we have no power to do so in and of ourselves. Bridges also shows the never-ending cycle between conduct and character. Which direction are we training ourselves by our actions? Are we training ourselves to wait patiently for God's timing? Are we cultivating thankfulness that will create a joyful character? Devotion to God, according to Bridges is based on fear of God, love of God, and desire of God. I definitely agree with Bridges' assertion that all three need to be in balance. He states that the church today is strongly lacking in the area of fear of God. Bridges' proceeds to devote a chapter to each of the fruit of the Spirit. My favorite part of The Fruitful Life is the fact that Bridges provides meditation verses for each fruit of the Spirit. I have found in my own life, meditating on Scriptures is a great way not only to fight sin but also to build the corresponding virtue. I want to return to Bridges' list of Scriptures for each of the fruit. Bridges also directs the reader to prayer giving ideas for Scripture the reader can pray in building fruit in their lives. He provides applicational questions about each fruit, centering the reader on honestly evaluating him or herself in regards to struggles. For instance: "Review the last couple of days, looking for situations in which you were tempted to act in a self-centered way instead of putting others before yourself. What did you do in each case? What do you observe about yourself." (60). Ouch, Bridges asks some tough questions of the reader. The Fruitful Life is a book I will find myself "chewing" on for weeks to come. I plan to spend more time meditating on the Scriptures and questions Bridges shares.

The Fruitful Life: The Overflow of God's Love Through You is an application oriented exposition of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. I am deeply grateful an appreciative to the author for taking the time to flesh out the practical aspects of how fruit is produced in our lives. He does an outstanding job at bringing the reader in to focus on living a Christ-centered fruit-bearing life. He acknowledges an individuals reliance on the Holy Spirit of God to produce fruit, while at the same time calling the reader to responsibility. For example, in the chapter concerning humility the author writes, "Though not mentioned explicitly in Galatians 5:22-23, humility is surely a fruit of the Spirit, the result of His ministry in our hearts. But this ministry does not occur without deliberate, conscious effort on our part. The Spirit does not make us humble; He enables us to humble ourselves in these difficult situations" (57). Each chapter contains excellent study and application questions that go well beyond most group study books that I have read. If read thoroughly and with a mind for application this book can change your life. This book is a great tool for understanding and applying the scripture to your life. It is designed to be useful for either individual study or study as a group.

Very highly recommended. We studied a chapter a week as a family. It is very well written and thorough.

I've been reading The Fruitful Life...and before I've even finished reading it the first time, I've had to order a few copies to share as Christmas presents! Previous works by Bridges I have read all or parts of, I found to be a little meaty and overwhelming for my needs and personality. But this book takes the best elements of his style and focus on the Word, and gives an extensive overview of Galatians 5:22-23 that is very applicable to our daily lives in today's world, challenging the reading in a good way without overwhelming the reader in a negative way. Those who have studied the Word for years and those who are new believers can all benefit from the simple yet straight-forward nature of this book.

I love this book! "The Fruitful Life" is easy to read and like many other Bridges' books, it has plenty of Bible verses to back his words, so you know you are reading biblical sources. Best of all, this book contains study questions at the end of each chapter for you to read and meditate upon. "The Fruitful Life" is just what a Christian needs when it comes to "bearing more fruits" or "be more like Christ." This book teaches the basics of each fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, or simply Galatians 5:22-23. For instance, before I read the chapter on Love, I thought love as in loving others like how God loves us or love others as much as yourself. Well, I was right in a sense but loving others also means that we give our time, energy and money. Loving others means we are to forgive them and show care for them. Loving others isn't just loving the one you love, but also loving the ones you don't love, or your "enemies" sort of speak. We only know the "dictionary" meaning of these fruits but when it comes to how to practice them in life...Bridges got the answers.