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Recently I have been mediating on how we
as Christians can identify fruit. It is not based on
circumstances. I noticed many people in the Bible who had many
conflicts in life but this did not mean that they did not bear
fruit. This was my question. How can I identify fruit when the
physical circumstances did not merit “good” fruit from an
earthly prospective?
For example, Joseph spent years in jail
for a crime he did not commit. I must admit I am not sure I
would have known that he was bearing fruit if I saw him in
prison. Then I looked at Moses who spent forty years in the
desert as a shepherd. Would I have known that he was bearing
fruit when he was tending sheep? Then I looked at Paul, he was
often in prison and condemned by those in the church because he
went against commonly held doctrinal beliefs. Did I see his
fruit? Even today, I have noticed people who have gone outside
of religious affiliations’ and they have usually been labeled a
cult or other type of subversive group. Do I see their fruit?
My daughter and I were reading Psalms 1. I
loved verse 2 “But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates
day and night.” I love to mediate on God’s law because through
my obedience to His law I show God my love to Him. In John 14,
Jesus refers to this subject of loving God through obedience
many times. So I really loved verse 2.
However my daughter says she loved
Psalms 1: 3 “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of
water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also
shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Then it
hit me. I understood “brings forth its fruit in its season”. The
fruit of righteousness is brought forth in its season. He is
planted in by the rivers of water but the fruit is shown in its
season.
So… earthly prosperity is not the
sign of a fruit bearing tree. When God has completely made us
ready for His service we bear fruit and until then our tree has
leaves that don’t wither and whatever we do shall prosper.
Joseph prospered even as a slave
and prisoner. He was put in charge because Potiphar and the
jailer knew that God blessed whatever he did. We are not told
if Moses prospered as a shepherd but I am sure of God’s promise.
We did see the fruit of his commune with God. He spoke with God
face to face and led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Paul
prospered by expanding the church of Christ to the gentile
nations.
The fruit cannot be identified till
it is in season but the other signs to look for are not
withering or whatever he does prospers. Sometimes we really
don’t know what good fruit is but I do know that when the season
comes our fruit will show. |
