The Tale of Two Trees
There were once two trees. One tree was quite lovely. It was brought into a home and had many beautiful decorations placed on it. Lights were added. It was pleasing in every way. Of course it was a Christmas tree.
The other tree was in a forest. Its branches weren't pruned perfectly, but it had an abundance of fruit on it. The fruit wasn't perfect; it had a few spots and sometimes was misshapen. No one would say it was a lovely tree, but the animals came from far and wide to feast on its fruit. The birds and squirrels made nests in its branches. Sometimes the tree would endure a storm and be tossed about but its roots were deep and it always managed to stand tall.
If you think of the first tree, it did seem beautiful. Its decorations looking like fruit and its twinkling lights made people think it was real but it wasn't. It had no roots, it offered no food for the animals, no homes for the woodland creatures, it was actually barren. Oh but the tree in the woods, had everything the Christmas tree did not. It was real and living. Just as one tree is only for show, and the other truly lives, so our lives must reflect genuine spiritual fruit.
Rooted in Christ: Cultivating True, Living Fruit
When we think of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) we can be like one of these two trees. We can pretend to bear fruit. We might even make people happy by the way we look or what we do, but if we are not rooted in Christ, then we aren't cultivating true, living fruit.
If you aren't a Christian, you can certainly still be a good person. You can be a loving, kind and caring person. You can attend church and study God's word. You can mimic a real, fruit bearing tree because perhaps you were raised to be a nice person, maybe you have a lot of will power to not do bad things, perhaps you like the way being good makes you feel, maybe you are quite proud of the person you have become and all the ornaments that are on your tree. What is your motivation? Good works have value, but without Christ, they are not for the glory of God and can't be pleasing to Him.
When Goodness Becomes a Stumbling Block
Sadly, being a good person may actually be a hindrance to becoming a Christian and recognizing our need for a Savior. The Pharisees were great rule-followers, but they were called a brood of vipers by Jesus. The rich young ruler was also a good rule follower and yet he walked away from Jesus. Neither the Pharisees nor the rich young ruler had a heart that was truly changed.
True Fruit Comes From a Changed Heart
In Matthew 3:8, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and tells them to "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance." This simply means that their repentance should be genuine. They should have a true change of heart. Their desire should be to stop sinning, yet they sinned while not accepting any responsibility for it. They were self-righteous and hypocritical. In Luke 3:8 Jesus tells the people that the way we live will be proof of our repentance.
If we are Christians, our goal should be to become more and more like Christ. As we grow in our understanding and love for Jesus our fruit will become more evident. It won't be forced, hung on us like a decoration. It will pour out of us and our love will be used for others like the tree in the forest. John 15:5 emphasizes the importance of remaining in Jesus, "without Me you can do nothing" He says.
Staying Rooted in Christ Through Every Season
We should never fail to bear fruit even when we endure hard times. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV).
We are blessed when we bear fruit, because our fruit is for others. We are to be servants who think that others are better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). There is no place for pride in a Christian's life. What we are, our relationship with others, is because we are in Christ. Our fruit should be real, authentic, and lovely. In my own walk with Christ, I discovered this truth in a way I never expected.
Planting Seeds, Even When We Can’t See the Harvest
When I was a new Christian, I thought my fruit was only determined by whether I brought people to Christ. Then I realized that as I produced more and better fruit that it was my fruit that was planting a seed. Others might see Jesus in me. Others might want what I have. I might or might not see a harvest. Others besides myself might be the workers who would reap, but it might be my job to plant the seed of faith (John 4:37).
As a new Christian this change of heart that Christ brought may not always be immediately apparent to those who knew us before. Sometimes, others remember when we had little fruit, and they may not believe that we have grown in Christ. We can't be worried about what others think or remember of us. We need to be grateful that we have an opportunity to show them that we have changed. There will still be times though when we won't show that change.
Real Fruit Comes From Abiding, Not Striving
We won't always bear good fruit, and mustn't pretend that we can. Again, God wants the real deal. We shouldn't look at the fruit of the Spirit as a checklist of things we have to try to do or be. Sometimes we fail because we aren't as rooted as we should be. If we abide in Christ, it will happen naturally. It won't be forced.
If you see yourself not bearing fruit—not showing love, patience, kindness, joy, etc.—then we need to ask ourselves: what is our relationship with Jesus like. Is He only important to us on Sunday? Have we forgotten that we are a work in progress? Have we been tempted to ignore Him? Do we have sin that we have not repented of?
Obedience and Abiding Go Hand in Hand
John 15:10 says that if we keep the commandments of Jesus, we will abide in His love. To abide means to remain or dwell in His love. How sad to find ourselves not keeping His commandments and not dwelling in His love. Bearing fruit is not due to our own efforts but to abiding in His love and being obedient.
In John 15:8, Jesus speaks to His disciples and tells them that they glorify God when they bear much fruit. Our fruit brings glory to God, not to ourselves. For this to happen, though, I need to be led by the Holy Spirit, willing to follow Him wherever He leads and willing to listen.
What Kind of Tree Are You?
Does your life show a deep, living relationship with Christ, or is it just a show, like a Christmas tree made up to be beautiful? Which tree are you—the one bearing real fruit or pretend fruit??
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