Greetings,
I love fruit. I see pineapple and I am drawn to it like a moth to light. I love a lot of varieties of fruit. However, there are a few types of fruit that I do not care for at all. I don’t like palm fruit or papaya, and although I have never placed any on my tongue, I am certain to avoid a fruit called durian. It smells like someone left the gas stove on and the natural gas has dangerously filled the room.
In Matthew 7:16, Jesus tells his disciples that they will recognize them (false teachers) by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? When Jesus says, “You will know them by their fruit,” what does He mean by “fruit”?
When we see a vineyard, we expect to see grapes in the right season. I wouldn’t be able to point out a fig tree from a lineup of fruit trees, but I would still expect a fig tree to produce figs. A farmer who notices one of his fruit trees or vines is not bearing any fruit will cut it down. It is useless. Of course we wouldn’t go to a thistle field and expect to gather fruit. Thorn bushes can never produce fruit because of their nature. It is impossible. They have no capacity to produce anything but thorns.
Matthew 12:33 ~ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.” What comes from our life is either good or bad. High quality or low quality.
Fruit is all over scripture. In Psalm 1 we see that, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers."
Fruit is all over scripture. In Psalm 1 we see that, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers."
In Galatians 5:22-23, we see the measuring rod of the Christian: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
When others look at your life, how does the fruit look? More importantly, when the Lord examines your fruit, is it fruit grown in faith and trust because of your delight in the Lord? Will He see the bountiful and beautiful fruit of the Lord or is it fake fruit made by human hands in an attempt to look like good fruit? Or maybe the fruit is small, hard to find, or rotten. Maybe there is no fruit at all. In that case, the only remedy is to go through a pruning process and get as close to the true vine, Jesus, as possible and let His fruit grow through you in delight.
There is no way to synthesize fruit in your life. The only way to produce beautiful and blessed fruit is to stop trying to make your own fruit and rest in the Lord. Let Him produce His fruit through you.
Love ya,
Chris
There is no way to synthesize fruit in your life. The only way to produce beautiful and blessed fruit is to stop trying to make your own fruit and rest in the Lord. Let Him produce His fruit through you.
Love ya,
Chris
