Known By Your Fruit

There are nearly 2,000 varieties of fruits in the world and each grows on a tree or a vine that is specific to a particular fruit. It's not always easy to tell exactly what the tree is until it blossoms. As the fruit tree matures it produces more and more fruit.  Eventually it produces a harvest if it is properly cared for and nurtured.

We are like fruit trees to some extent. Each of us produces some kind of fruit in our lives.  We are known for the fruit we produce. Jesus Christ picks up on this in the following parable:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7)

In a way, God is like a botanist. A botanist is able to look at a plant to determine what kind of plant it is without having to see the fruit it will eventually produce. God, similarly, is able to look on the inside of or our hearts to determine what kind of person we are and who we will eventually become. He is a human botanist.

Most of us, however, are not human botanists. We cannot peer into the recesses of another person's heart so we are left to make judgments based on the fruit that we see. This is what Christ was referring to in Matthew 7 above. He was warning his disciples to watch for those that do not bear fruit because they are nothing more than wolves in sheep's clothing. These are those that we should avoid.

Christ wasn't just warning his listeners to watch for others, he was also telling them to examine their own fruit. You see, there are really only two types of fruit humans produce -- Good and Bad. The apostle Paul explains the difference in his letter to the church in Galatia. He begins with the "bad fruit."

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5)

Yuck. Definitely not the kind of fruit we want to produce. Rather, all of us should strive to produce "good fruit" that Paul describes in the very next set of verses:

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... (Galatians 5:22,23)

This is the fruit God produces in our lives when we live for him. We are kind, filled with love, live at peace with others, patient with ourselves and those around us, faithful in all we do, gentle and meek, and exhibit self-control. This can only be accomplished by God's Spirit, which is why the verse starts out with, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives..." Living by the Spirit produces Spiritual fruit!

Similar to a fruit tree that matures over time, we also grow and mature in God's grace. Bearing fruit may take a little time so be patient as you grow. If you have stalled and unable to produce the fruit Paul describes, seek God "who give generously to all who seek him."

You may also need to prune those dead branches in your life that prevent you from producing good fruit. Sure, we all have them. Friends that drag you down, drinking excessively, having casual sex or watching pornography, talking about other people behind their backs, foul language, etc.. You know what they are in your life.

Hey, I'm not judging...I've got my own branches that need pruning. I also know "pruning" is not easy. In fact, it's incredibly painful. But it needs to be done in order that I might bear the kind of fruit God desires in my life. He wants to bear fruit in your life as well. Submit to his will and you will produce a beautiful harvest!