Our Fruits Show Who We Really Are
If you are shown fruits that don’t look quite good, can the farmer or anyone convince you to buy the fruits just by telling you how much the fruits were watered and cared for? You would still prefer good-looking succulent fruits from another source who may not speak anything. This is the case because the fruits you see have informed your decision. By the appearance of the fruits, you will know if to buy them or not.
Likewise, it is with us as Christians. Believers or unbelievers, friends or enemies, family or relatives, colleagues or employees, and all those who interact with us will know us by our fruits. Our behaviors, the actions we take, the signals we send, and all the impressions we make on them, will count more than what we say we are.
What our fruits do not include.
To understand the fruits that really communicate who we are, we must remove the chaff that can be mistaken as part of the fruits. For instance, our fruits are not necessarily, going to Church, being a prayer warrior, leading in fellowship meetings, etc. These are only activities that when properly embraced, can help us produce the right fruits. Rather, the fruits are the results following these religious activities. You can be a choirmaster but still, produce immorality.
What are the fruits?
The fruits are simply the products of your activities. They are what you produce. So, what do you produce, in life, in business, at work, in school, and in every relationship?
By our fruits, they shall know us. Unfortunately, many of us easily see the terrible fruits others produce but are mostly blind to the terrible fruits we produce.
You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way, they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16 NLT
You will know them by what they do. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briars do not bear figs. Matthew 7:16 GNB
The focus of Matthew 7 was on the prophets who only speak to deceive. All the same as the disciples of Jesus, we live to show His message in all we do. We will be just like the prophets if we speak another thing but do otherwise. People will know us by the fruits we produce. We can only produce what we are. According to the message in Matthew 7:16, the world will know us by the fruits we produce and not how spiritual we sound in prayer.
Again, the passage helps to understand that we cannot produce fruits beyond what we are. No reasonable person will go to a dead tree expecting to get some fruit. Most of us know or can easily reference the list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in. Galatians 5:22-23 GNB
But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.
But the summary of the fruits is anything that really shows your love for your neighbor more than yourself. Not really easy. This is why we must first become part of the Vine -Jesus if we are indeed to bear good fruits. In contrast, anything that solely gratifies your desires is that bad fruit. For instance, going to a prayer meeting to please your pastor is fruit. But attending prayer in a meeting to learn how to love and then showing love is a fruit of the spirit according to Galatians 5:14 GNB
For the whole Law is summed up in one commandment: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
The Most Powerful Evangelism Is The Life You Live is an article in which I highlighted that to evangelize is to let your light shine before men. This is so they will see the manifestations of God’s word.
Therefore:
- Your profile should evangelize
- Your work is a ministry
- Your marriage should be an evangelism platform
- Your parental responsibility improves or hampers God’s light
- Your political disposition is evangelism
- Your social interaction is evangelism.
How to produce good fruits
Up to this point, we have refreshed our minds on what is not included in the fruits we should be known for. Going through God’s Word, we have also understood what these fruits should be. Now how do we go about producing these fruits? This is especially a very important question since we cannot produce what we are not.
Ask for a clean heart
Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me. Psalms 51:10 GNB
We have all come short. Some of us have done terrible things. We can’t bear good fruits if we remain in our fallen state
Keep your way pure
How can young people keep their lives pure? By obeying your commands. With all my heart I try to serve you; keep me from disobeying your commandments. Psalms 119:9-10 GNB
After asking God for cleansing, what follows is an attachment to Him. Then, we must remain willing to serve Him and keep obeying His commands.
Draw near to God.
Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites! James 4:8 GNB
Remember when you attach yourself to Him, he abides in you and you abide in Him. The result is obvious. You will bear good fruits out of divine nourishment.
Think in righteousness
In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Philippians 4:8 GNB
To avoid disconnecting ourselves from God’s grace, we must only what edifying Him into our hearts. In today’s Internet age it is very easy to let our hearts get easily polluted. We cannot runway from the world but to bear fruits for God, is to allow only healthy seeds into us.
Finally, trust God.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the LORD in everything you do, and he will show you the right way. Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the LORD and refuse to do wrong. If you do, it will be like good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains. Honor the LORD by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. If you do, your barns will be filled with grain, and you will have too much wine to be able to store it all. Proverbs 3:5-10 GNB
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