Source: Greg Laurie
A little boy went over to a pastor's house, where the pastor was doing some
carpentry in his garage. The boy simply stood there and watched him for
quite a long time. After a while, the preacher wondered why this boy was
watching him and was finally so curious that he stopped and said, "Son, are
you trying to pick up some pointers on how to build something?" The little
boy replied, "No. I am just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he
hits his thumb with a hammer."
Often, we will find out what we are made of by what comes out of our mouths
in both good and bad circumstances. When we have a change in conduct and
character in our lives, it is a type of spiritual fruit.
Galatians 5:22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control .
.. . " (NKJV). A Christian's life should be characterised by these things.
Are you producing fruit? Or is the opposite true?
Instead of love, is there hatred, bitterness, or even prejudice in your
life? Instead of joy, is there constant gloom? Instead of peace, is there
turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there a short temper? Instead of faith,
is there endless worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance?
Instead of self-control, are you a victim of your own passions?
If so, then either you don't know God at all or a recommitment to Christ
would be in order.
If you are a Christian, then people should be able to look for-and
find-fruit in your life. Why? Because a disciple of Jesus Christ will
produce spiritual fruit.
Jesus said, " 'My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory
to my Father' " (John 15:8 NLT). Jesus also said, " 'By their fruits you
will know them' " (Matthew 7:20 NKJV).
The metaphor of bearing fruit is used quite often in the Bible. In the
Parable of the Sower, Jesus spoke of seed that falls on different types of
ground, representing different reactions to the truth of the gospel message.
The final category He mentioned in Mark 4:20 was good ground: "But these are
the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear
fruit: some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred" (NKJV).
In other words, those who have spiritual longevity are those who embrace
this truth and produce fruit. The Bible tells us that we should bear fruit
worthy of repentance (see Matthew 3:8).
The Bible gives us different pictures as to what "bearing fruit" means. For
example, praising and thanking God is a way of bearing fruit in our lives.
Hebrews 13:15 says, "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"
(NKJV). When you praise God, that is bearing fruit.
At one of our church services, I noticed a young woman in the front row who
was in a wheelchair. Her legs were gone, and she had only one arm, which was
a partial one.
As we were worshipping, this young woman lifted what she had of her arm to
the Lord. I thought about how this must have pleased God. She didn't have
hands to lift, but what she had, she lifted to the Lord.
Did she have troubles in her life? Did she have difficulty? Of course she
did. But she offered a sacrifice of praise to God.
We don't praise God only when we are in the mood. Rather, we praise God
because He is worthy of our praise. Our word, "worship," comes from the old
English form, worth ship. We praise that which is worthy.
Therefore, we don't praise God because we feel like it. We praise God
because He deserves our praise. When we do this, we are bearing fruit.
What we say is also a type of fruit in our lives. Jesus said, " 'A good
person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces
evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you
say' " (Luke 6:45 NLT).
When you are a true Christian, it will be reflected by what you say. This is
bearing fruit as well.
Can others identify spiritual fruit in your life? Remember, people are
watching you. They are listening to you. I hope that you are pointing them
to Jesus.
Useful link: www.harvest.org
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