Do They Know Us By Our Fruit?
When in season, I love those little Halos and Cuties brands of mandarins. They are my “go-to” fruit, but at the end of spring, they leave the produce shelves. I’ve purchased other varieties since then and they just don’t taste the same and are even sour or tasteless. Who wants a sour or tasteless fruit? Yesterday morning, one of my scripture readings was this verse where Jesus famously said, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:20). Their fruits? What did Jesus mean?
Our fruits are what define us. They are our actions, our values, and our persona that others know us by. Wise King Solomon wrote long ago, “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right” (Proverbs 20:11). If a child is known by what he does, what about us? Honestly, this post today comes from “the extremely hateful, ugly, nasty, mouthy, distasteful and sour” fruits that I’ve seen lately in some public speakers. Those who are saying things like “go ahead and mistreat those who don’t think like you think and act the way you act and who don’t agree with your philosophies and beliefs”.
There’s something to be said about those who bear that sour and tasteless fruit versus those who bear sweet and tasty fruit. This is the fruit that Jesus and I are talking about: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) The life of a follower of Christ should be bearing THAT fruit.
I know I must sound like a “fruit inspector” and the first fruit I try to inspect is my own. I ask myself “Instead of love, is there hatred and even prejudice in my life? Instead of joy, is there gloom and despair? Instead of peace, is there turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there harshness? Instead of faith, is there fear and worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance? Instead of self-control, is there lack of control and impatience?
In this recent couple of years, most certainly, we’ve been given all kinds of opportunities to decide. Is it love or hate, peace or anger, bitterness or happiness, crankiness or joyfulness? Remembering the scripture… “What the heart is full of….the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45)? Doesn’t that give us pause for giving ourselves a good old fruit inspection?
When we opened our hearts to God, He walked through the door with a treasure chest full of everything we need to overcome and be successful in every area of our life. I clearly got the message “I’m not asking you to be their Fruit Inspector. I’m asking you to inspect your own fruit.” That’s when I know God is telling me to amp up that fruit in my own life — to be sure that what my heart is full of, bears the Fruit of the Spirit qualities.
Back to my scripture verse from yesterday…..Matthew 7:20 – “Therefore, by their FRUITS, you will know them.” WOW – that’s how we’re recognized as devoted followers of Christ…or NOT. So as fruit inspectors, we, first, need to pass the test on the fruits we are bearing. It really is the season for “fruit bearing”. After all, as believers, we know Holy Spirit is in us so we already have the good soil, fertilizer, nutrients and everything else we need to be choice, luscious, sweet, refreshing, top quality fruit-bearers to a world that could sure use some.