Good Fruit

 Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’sclothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will knowthem by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs fromthistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad treebears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can abad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruitis cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know themby their fruits.


I have always loved the Galatians passage which lists the fruit of the Spirit. I find most of the same list in a different way in the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians as well as in the gospel of John in the final discussion with the disciples in the upper room on the night before Jesus crucifixion. We also find some of the same items in Jesus teaching during the sermon on the mount. The fruit in each case represents traits in human character. When all our fruit have matured and our tree is full we will have grown as much as we can into the image of Christ.

One important dimension of the development of good fruit is that our feeble human efforts are not enough. They are called fruit of the Spirit because they are only possible by the working of God in and through us. I would read in 1st Corinthians 13, "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." How well have you done at matching that without God's help? I would look at those words and get frustrated with my lack of all of those things. My prayer became Lord make me the man you desire me to be. 

We are warned that if we don't bear good fruit that we will suffer consequences. Go our own way and the natural self will seek it's own way. Good fruit will be replace by self-centeredness, greed, pride, and other bitter fruit. It's not hard to get angry, it os hard to control your tongue, but God seeks good fruit. May we seek those holy fruit as well.