October 31

Fruit Bearing

I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. — John 15:5 BSB

What is fruit in a Christian? We know what fruit is in the natural world and what its purpose is, but what is spiritual fruit? It cannot be merely Christian activities. While good works are certainly part of the fruit, there is a danger in our busy world that we might focus so much on activity that we overlook another kind of fruit—one that is equally important. In nature, fruit is part of the branch itself, not something separate from it. Similarly, there are spiritual fruits that are part of a Christian’s character—growth in holiness and Christlikeness. As St. Paul says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Clearly, these fruits manifest in our character. The goal of Christ’s work in us is not merely to make us active workers for good in the world. His first goal is to make us good, to transform our character into His likeness. Then, we will be prepared to minister to others. While we should be fruitful in every good work, we should also seek to be fruitful in Christlike character.

In nature, the fruit of a tree feeds the hunger of others. A tree does not consume its own fruit; it drops it for others to gather. This teaches us that we should not be selfish in our fruit-bearing. We should not cultivate our character solely for our own benefit. Our goal should be to provide something in our lives that will nourish and bless others. All around us are people with hungry hearts—those who need love, sympathy, comfort, and salvation. We are called to live in such a way that our lives yield nourishment for these souls.