Known by Your Fruit

I've been thinking a lot about fruit lately. Partially due to the fact that fruit this time of year is at its peak of sweetness. The strawberries taste like candy in the summer months. The watermelon, extra juicy and sweet. The peaches and nectarines make my mouth water. And there's nothing better than walking through the blueberry patches of mid-Michigan collecting the plumpest blueberries you've ever seen—of course sneaking some in your mouth along the way.

With all the beautiful fruit displayed at our local grocery store and vendor fruit markets it's got me thinking about fruit in the Bible.

In Matthew 7:16 and 17 Jesus says "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit."

Then in Galatians 5:22 and 23 Paul talks to us about the fruit of the spirit. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

The younger Jamie used to think that the fruit in her life—organization, church or ministry—was measured by what people could see. Things like, how many people came to know God (which is amazing by the way). How many people were in attendance at an event. How many books I would someday write. How many accolades I received from others. How many songs I would someday publish. How much money I made or what type of house I lived in.

Now don't get me wrong, these things can all be ramifications of God's blessing and good fruit in our lives, but I believe the true measures of good fruit starts within.

For example, if I write 50 books, run 25 marathons, live in a mansion and have more money than I could ever dream of, but I lack the fruit of the spirit in my life (fruit within)—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness—I am clearly missing something.

You see I believe that the true measure of good fruit in your life starts with you personally. Instead of measuring your success by outward accomplishments, start measuring your success by what your life is personally producing on the inside.

Start with asking yourself, am I walking in alignment with God? If not, why? Are the fruits of the Spirit bubbling over in my life? If they aren't, is there an area that God needs to work on in me? Maybe there's something I need to let go of. Maybe I'm putting too much emphasis on what others see instead of who I am and what God is doing in me. Maybe I need to realign my definition of "bearing good fruit" with what God calls fruitful.

I am convinced of this, if we simply, authentically live out who God has created us to be—our identity and worth rooted solely in Him—we will be walking the fruitful life God intended us to live. May outward accomplishments never take precedence over the work that God is doing on the inside of you. This is where the true measure of Godly fruit is found.

"My prayer this summer for you and I is that God gives us eyes to examine the fruit we are bearing in the secret places of who we are. That He makes us sweeter than the sweetest strawberry, bearing delicious fruit in every season."

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