In All Circumstances, Ask Yourself “What Kind of Fruit is Being Produced?”

Don’t you just love it when people want to cause as much damage as possible? In my 43 years of life, I’ve seen my share of relationships crumble, organizations split, people self-destruct, and in all that process, there’s some who desire to cause as much damage on their way out or down as possible. Sadly, these sorts of things happen in the church as well. What is more, this HURTS! One thing I’ve noticed is I’ve had to learn to steel myself, often, because people do hurtful things, even in the church, when they don’t get their way. Sometimes in these situations, we’re able to reconcile; and this is what we pray for! But often, we have to ask an honest question: if Jesus said that we’ll know a tree by its fruit, what fruit is being produced? Paul tells us what the fruit we ought to look for looks like:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:19-24

In my life and yours, in any and all situations and circumstances, we ought to pull out these scriptures and examine the fruit. Is what I am doing causing me to dive deeper in to sensuality, sexual immorality, idolatry of any kind? Is this argument, or mine or that person’s actions causing enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, or divisions? Well, if I am honest, this is of the flesh. My passions and desires (or theirs) are in full control, and I need to step out of this! But if the fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness or self-control, then I can see the Spirit at work! I can’t make other people do right, nor should I try, but I always ought to examine my own fruit, and act accordingly.

So how is this fruit produced? How can I discern if I am producing the fleshly or the Spiritual fruits? Simply put: ask yourself if your mind is set on the Spirit or on the Flesh (Romans 8 is a good chapter about this!). The biggest indicator, however, comes from Jesus Himself: we can only produce fruit if we’re abiding in Him. Ask yourself, honestly: are my thoughts, actions and words, public and private, all geared toward Christ’s glory, or am I seeking myself? If I have considered the blood of Christ, and that my life is no longer my own, how can I do anything else but abide (dwell in, occupy my time, treasures and talents with) Christ Jesus? But if I am seeking myself, if I am seeking my own glory, the fruits produced may, for a time, seem sweet, but will always end up in the flesh. I will choose the blood of Christ, because He chose me first, and died for me that, through His death, I may live in Him. May my life, then, be producing fruit in accordance with the Spirit He has made to live inside of me.

John 15

“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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.