What Fruit?

Jesus said, “Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5 AMP)

Christians are supposed to bear fruit. I woke up thinking about it. This was a new and unexpected thought for me. Despite having read these verses many times, I never deeply considered the fruit thing. I knew right away this thought was an intruder from outside of me.

“Holy Spirit, what about it?” I asked. “Are you wanting me to write about fruit?”

Here I sit at 3:30 AM, basking in the glow of my laptop computer screen. My favorite study Bible is precariously balanced on the arm of my chair, open to John 15. Coffee is still too hot to drink. “God, what do you want me to write about?”

“Bearing fruit.”

My Christian brain recalls the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

“Not that fruit. What fruit did you bear yesterday?”

Now I’m thinking, “Is there anything I did yesterday that would qualify as bearing fruit?”

The Holy Spirit whispers, “You should ask yourself that question every day. Your crop of fruit should be steadily increasing.”

This fruit thing pretty much always involves other humans. Bearing fruit is not the study and practice of a thing; it is the sharing of it with someone else. Bearing fruit is when others hear that instrument you play and join you in worship. Bearing fruit is encouraging others within the framework of God’s kingdom. Bearing fruit is when your words are read, and they awaken the reader to hear, love, and trust their Creator.

Bearing fruit requires your engagement in the community where God has placed you. Bearing fruit requires you to reflect Jesus in you to others. Jesus promises to prune off the parts of you that oppose this bearing of fruit. This is Jesus changing you, transforming you, loving you, and partnering with you to do the Father’s will on earth.

This is the start of a new day for me. The coffee is the perfect temperature now. I resolve to intentionally be on the lookout for opportunities to bear fruit today. Perhaps kindle a bit of rare extroversion and share  Biblical encouragement with someone I run into. Or the more comfortable introversion of typing words into this machine that will serve as evidence of my faith to the reader. Or some other opportunity that will delightfully pop up.

I will endeavor to stay on this course and not lose my bearing. I will seek His pruning.

Bearing fruit is no accident.