FRUIT-BEARING CHRISTIANS

Living near orchards affords us the opportunity to see the peach and apple trees blossom and bring forth fruit as the summer months pass. Seeing the fruit trees with abundant fruit on their branches reminds me of the many times Scripture speaks of and encourages the Christian to bear fruit.

Jesus tells us in John 15:8 that we glorify God and show our identities as his disciples when we “bear much fruit.” In praying for the faithful in Colosse, the apostle Paul prays “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). And the apostle Peter tells us if we are adding to our faith “virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7), then we will “be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(vs. 8).

With these words of encouragement on bearing fruit, may we be “filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11), and “learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs” that we may not be unfruitful servants in the Lord’s kingdom (Titus 3:14).