Fruit

"What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death."

- Romans 6:21

Before I made a decision to follow Jesus, my life bore no fruit.  Nothing I did had any real value.  I wasn't doing anything to build the eternal Kingdom of God.  I wasn't doing anything for anyone else.  I was all about me.  What I want, when I want it.  I was selfish; constantly chasing temporary pleasures.  I was sowing selfishness amongst countless other vile ingredients... destined to reap death and destruction.  If I was a tree in your garden you would have dug me up and thrown me out.  But... 

But has become one of my favorite words in the Bible.  Just when everything seems so overwhelmingly dismal and I think it can't get any worse, that word but comes up.  Maybe I don't like the word but; maybe I just know that its going to be followed by some awesome act of God and like Pavlov's dog I connect the 2.  So when that word but appears I begin to feel relived, to feel thankful... thankful that God sent Jesus to die for my sins that I might obtain righteousness... thankful that my God loved me before I loved Him back or was even able to love Him back... thankful to have a gift that is priceless, I could never find it, buy it, earn it, or lose it.  

"But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life."  

- Romans 6:22

God gave us fruit.  Not the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve ate... He gave us holiness.  Jesus left heaven, became human, shed blood, and died that we might become holy.  That we might have everlasting life.  In return or as a result of that God commands us to bear fruit.  I was listening to a sermon today that really challenged me and forced me to examine my life, does it bear fruit?  I can talk about God/Jesus, blog about them, go to church, refrain from saying bad words... does my life bear fruit?  Am I walking out my faith?  I'm not so sure.  

• You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.   - Matthew 7:16-20

• ^"Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."  - Luke 8:14-15

• "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."- John 15:8

• "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."  - John 15:16

• "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God."  - Romans 7:4

I questioned myself.  Am I bearing fruit? What does fruit look like?  How can I bear fruit?  I looked in my concordance.  I found a lot of scriptures, however the answers to my questions were simple.  What would Jesus do?  Live a life that gives glory to God by loving others and being obedient to the Father.  How do I do this?  By spending time with God.  Reading God's word, praying, praising, listening to sermons, spending time in fellowship, giving myself to Him and His Kingdom, etc.  I must give God time to change me... time to massage my calloused heart.  I knew that!  Its a simple answer to know but not a simple answer to execute but with God's grace I'm trying.

I put some more of the verses I looked at today below.  Feel free to read them and maybe even leave more that come to mind in the comment box.  There are some verses at the bottom that serve as warnings from God.  Me personally I need those in my life.  I need God to keep me in check.  I don't want to gravitate away from Him.  I know what can happen if I am left to my own devices.  However I want to make it clear that I am not trying to scare anyone into Christianity.  They are not meant to condemn anyone but to convict and provoke thought, examination, and hopefully change.  I hope that God may use my life to bear fruit and that He may win you over with His unending love. 


What does fruit look like?

• ^"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

• "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." - Hebrews 13:15

How do I bear fruit?

• "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."  - James 3:17

• "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." - John 15:1-4

• "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." - Philippians 1:9-11

Warnings from God about not bearing fruit:

• "He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’”- Luke 13:6-9

• "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  - Matthew 3:10

• "For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned."  - Hebrews 6: 7-8