Can you see it too?
Often I read a scripture that talks about us being known by our fruit and I wonder if my fruit is showing or not? So I looked up a bit further in His Word to find how to tell if someone has fruit that is good or not. The following scripture was the best group of identifiers!
Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless
sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that
is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? A good tree produces good
fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad
tree can’t produce good fruit. So, every
tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people
by their actions. Matthew 7:15-20
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our
lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians
5:22-23
When I speak is it with kindness, gentleness, etc.? Or do I
speak harsh words and back biting things? I hope and pray that I show the fruit
of the spirit that I would be considered a good tree. When I look at the trees
in my garden most of them are beautiful in Spring, we have many kinds of
fruits, some are sweet and some are
sour, or bitter tasting. These fruits need help to get to that sweet
perfection. We have one tree in our garden that surprised us! It was supposed
to just flower, and not become full of fruit, but one year I looked up at its
branches and saw cherries or plums growing from them. It turned out to be that
our flowering plum tree was full of tiny plums!
They were pretty good tasting, but time will tell if they gain
sweetness. In the same way we can change
from a bitter person to a sweet person with God’s touch.
Sometimes we can only change with God’s touch. Life can bring
about a reason to be bitter, or harsh, it can cause us so much pain for no
apparent fault of our own, but God can change all of that. With the salvation
that Jesus brings us we can become that new creation. He will heal us of past
hurts, God can even help us see why we picked up that offence and see where to
let it go. Once we get healthy in our heart and soul through prayer, belief,
and reading the Bible, we can find peace. The really cool thing about gaining
peace in our spirit via the Holy Spirit working in us we can begin to shine with
good fruit!
Man plants a seed and adds water, and fertilizer but only
God can make the fruit grow.
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord
Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,[ I have not stopped thanking
God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom[f] and insight so that you might
grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with
light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he
called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray
that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who
believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and
seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or
power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world
to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him
head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body;
it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with
himself. Ephesians 1:16-23
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. Colossians 1:3-8
It is my prayer that the fruit I leave out there to grow with God will achieve that which He has planned it. I pray for each person that they will not only learn of Christ but once they believe and know God that they will continue to grow closer to Him, in knowledge, in faith and in love. In Jesus’ name, and In His Love