Have you ever seen a fruit bearing tree? We used to have a pear tree in our backyard growing up and my mother would make pear preserves each year. One thing I noticed about the tree was it didn’t bear fruit the first two years. It needed to get rooted and established. Once that happened, the fruit came consistently year after year.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jesus was speaking to his disciples, preparing them for His death. He wanted them to know the key to bearing fruit for the Kingdom. Many people assume the word “fruit” to mean others you’ve led to Christ. While that is one form of fruit, there are others.
The scriptures make several references to fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 tell us what the fruit of the spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” Colossians 1:10 tells us that good works are fruit. When we are walking out our faith before others through acts of service and good works, we are pointing others to Jesus [Matthew 5:16].
Hebrews 13:15 tells us praise is a form of fruit. As we praise the Lord before men and give thanks to Him for all He has done, we spotlight Jesus and draw attention to Him.
Fruit is basically anything you do or say that points others to Jesus. It isn’t just leading others to Jesus through the sinner’s prayer; it is leading others to Jesus through a variety of ways. Whether we’re new believers or ones who have walked with Jesus for a lifetime, we all have the ability to bear fruit.
The key to bearing fruit isn’t a “how,” it’s a “Who.” They key is Jesus. If you are connected to Jesus with a solid connection, you will bear fruit. My question to you today is do you have a good connection? If not, you can make your connection secure today. He is waiting…