Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Overnight Fruit?
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4 NLT)
Many people today are looking for a shortcut to spirituality. They’re looking for the quick fix, for the emotional experience that will transform their lives.
But there are no shortcuts to spirituality. There is no such thing as a quick fix. There is no emotional experience that will change everything for you. If you want to grow and indeed flourish as a Christian, it will come down to a day-to-day commitment that you make.
You won’t see fruit grow overnight any more than you could plant a tree on Monday and eat peaches from it on Tuesday. It takes time. But in time you will see the results as you’re faithful and consistent in the things that you need to do.
In John 15, Jesus compares Himself to a grapevine, God the Father to a gardener, and His followers to fruit. Psalm 1 reinforces the idea: “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (verse 3 NLT).
God has planted us, and as we sink our roots deeply into Him, He gives us permanence. Maybe that is why the psalmist David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 NKJV). The word David used for “steadfast” could be translated “stable,” “fixed,” or “constant.”
God also gives us productivity. If you are a believer who is walking with God, spiritual fruit will come out of your life. And what is this fruit? Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (NLT).
Producing spiritual fruit is not an overnight process. It takes time to grow. But in time it comes. The Bible tells us that “God has made everything beautiful for its own time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). So be patient. It may not happen as quickly as you would like.
Lastly, God gives us prosperity. Psalm 1:3 tells us, “Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (NLT). Our entire lives—family life, church life, personal life, business life—find balance because we are properly aligned with God.
On the other hand, when we don’t have this balance, we will be unhappy people. When the droughts of life devastate others because they have no resources to draw from, followers of Christ have an unfailing source.
Sometimes as Christians we grow frustrated because we see nonbelievers prospering, or so it appears. Things are going wonderfully for them, or so it seems. We see people who are dishonest and violate the standards of God, yet things seem to go along wonderfully for them.
But just remember, it all evens out in the end. Be consistent. Make a commitment to sink your roots deeply into Him, and you will see spiritual fruit in your life. You also will find happiness in the truest sense of the word.
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