If you call yourself a Christian, does this kind of fruit reflect your life? If you are not a Christian, wouldn’t you like to have this kind of fruit?
The first
fruit is love. “If I
speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have
become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
Do you love
God first and foremost? This is required in obedience to Him, but not from your
lips – from you heart! Do you love your neighbor as yourself, as God commanded?
I used to
love my parents so very much that when I read the scriptures that say to love God
above all, I found it very difficult, at first. Yet, we are to love God first, with
all our heart, all of our mind, all our soul, and all our strength. (See Mark
12:30 and Luke 10:27)
After
thinking about this for awhile, I had to admit to myself that it was God that created
my parents. Without God, I would have no parents. For that very same reason, I was
able to realize my love and respect for God must be first. I must love my God,
my Creator, more than any other, even my parents! We should realize that God
created us in love. He created our parents and everyone else. He must be our
first love, not out of obligation, but because we realize who He is and we love
Him from our heart. We must love the Creator, our God, more than His creation!
The Holy
Bible taught me many things that changed my life in very good and
positive ways. This can be the same for you. Simply start by reading The Holy Bible!
Then you may believe.
The next
fruit is joy. You will receive the joy of God by having a close relationship
with His only begotten and beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior, and by having
the Holy Spirit come to live within you when you are saved. (Please see the
blog entry on “Salvation.”) In reading the
Holy Bible, and in communion with our Creator, we can have a true joy that comes
only from God. This joy is wonderful and no matter what happens, beyond any and
all circumstances, this Godly joy can always be with you. (See James 1:2)
Joy also comes
with peace, another fruit that is given to us from God Himself. We can have the peace that passes all understanding.
(See Philippians 4:7)
Patience is a
fruit, but sometimes we struggle to keep it. The best way to be patient is to
believe that God is on our side. When we wait with faith, we can trust that God
knows best while we’re waiting on Him to act on our behalf. God wants our trust
and a close relationship with Him. Through longsuffering, we find the ability
through God to wait patiently. Just as we see that Jesus suffered greatly, particularly when He
was falsely accused, we can also endure anything with patience. He is our
example and our strength to be patient.
Kindness, gentleness,
and goodness come from living in truth with Christ-like behaviors. Although
there are certainly nonbelievers who are kind, they do not have the same traits
of the Holy Spirit that a true Christian displays. A Christian’s heart flows
with love for others with kindness, goodness, and gentleness that comes from
within the Holy Spirit dwelling inside. A Christian’s kindness, goodness, and gentleness
can easily be seen as a beacon of light.
When we are
faithful, without doubt, the Lord blesses. Without faith, we won’t be able to
accomplish much for His Kingdom. We must depend on God for our success to lead
others into His loving arms.
“... It is impossible to please God without
faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He
rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Meekness is living
in peace with others. A quiet and gentle Christian nature, not wanting to argue
with others or resent them either. Meekness is also displayed by modesty; especially
today, as a Christian, we should desire to dress modestly.
Self-control
is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We control anger before it can get ahold of us. We
live wisely, with faith, love, and patience, and we endure with godliness. We
do not slander others. We forgive others. We love what is good.
Overall, the
fruit of the Spirit will show others who we are as Christians.
Jesus told
those listening: “You will know them by
their fruits …” (Matthew 7:16)
Our life is
like a seed that can grow into good fruit. Only by first being saved by God, and
then by growing in maturity can the seeds of our lives yield fruit producing a
crop of 30-, 60-, and even 100-fold. (See Mark 4:8 for this specific reference.)
It may seem strange
to speak of knowing someone by their fruits! Aren’t fruits a type of food we
eat? Yes, but Jesus is speaking in parables. He speaks of us as trees. We can
be seen as trees that can produce good fruit or bad fruit.
“… 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.” (Matthew 7:17-18)
Jesus tells
us in Matthew 7:20 that we will recognize a person by their fruit:
“Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its
fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
In fact: “Every tree that does not produce good fruit
is chopped down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19) – This reference
is to the nonbeliever and those who reject God who will be thrown into hell.
Therefore, a
true Christian is productive. If we are a follower of Christ, it will be
evident by our fruit. A true Christian’s life will be viewed by their fruit and
it will be plentiful. If you take time in getting to know someone, eventually, you
will see their true fruit or lack thereof.
A true
follower of Jesus Christ bears fruit by having a personal relationship with
Jesus. The follower gets to know who He’s following. Just like you, my readers,
are getting to know me by reading my blog.
We will begin
to understand what it is that God has purposed for our life. We will find the
area in which we are gifted, and we will use the gift(s) to glorify Him. The
fruitful life is full of abundance in the gifting that Father God bestows on
the follower. Each person is gifted to bear fruit in various ways. God will
show us how to live a true Christian life and how to serve Him, as we bear the
fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus tells
us: "When you produce much fruit,
you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."
(John 15:8).
As Paul
prayed for the Philippians, I pray for you [my readers] that you are: “Being
filled with the fruits of
righteousness which [are] by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:11 – bold my emphasis)
Until
we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s Word for
Today: Jesus said, “Yes, I am the vine;
you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much
fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Copyright
© 2014 by Patricia Shehan
All scripture is quoted from various translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set in italics and quotation marks.
All scripture is quoted from various translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set in italics and quotation marks.
