John 15:2 “Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and
every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more
fruit.”
Our church has been going
through the gospel of John for the last few months and we just heard a sermon
on the vine and the branches from chapter 15, a couple weeks ago. I ran into
this devotion that takes a little deeper
dive into the fruit produced by the vine (you and I). They state that, as
Christ emphasized in His parable of the vine and the branches, it is vitally
important for a Christian to bear good fruit. There are, in fact, many types of
spiritual fruit mentioned in Scripture. Perhaps the most important fruit,
produced in one’s life by the Holy Spirit, is that of a Christ-like character.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Ephesians 5:9 “For the
fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth”.
Holiness – the state of being holy; purity or integrity
of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity. Applied to human beings,
holiness is purity of heart or dispositions; sanctified affections; piety;
moral goodness, but not perfect, is the seal of a life dedicated to God—is
a particular spiritual fruit. Romans 6:22 says, “Being made free from sin, and become
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness” and are “filled with the fruits of righteousness”
per Philippians
1:11. This entails also the fruit of good works performed in the name
of Christ, as Colossians 1:10 tells us, “that you might walk worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work”.
The habit of giving thanks
and praise rather than complaint and criticism is a valuable Christian fruit. Hebrews
13:15 proclaims, “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His
name”. Generosity is another important fruit. Paul commended the
sacrificial giving of the Philippians, “not
because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account”
in Philippians
4:17.
Finally, one vital fruit of
a Christian witness is fruit borne in other Christians’ lives. Paul’s great
desire was “that I might have some
fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles” - Romans 1:13.
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