Bearing Fruit

“We are people of habits!”, you might have heard it say before. The sooner a habit is formed the stronger is its grip on you. Habits also take time to become one, they do not just form overnight. A habit, as defined by Merriam-Webster is “an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary”. Another definition by the same is “a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance”. For many or all of us, much of what forms our habits is influenced by culture, what we say, what we read, and what we listen to. There are good habits and there are bad habits. When we come to know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are called to a new lifestyle which demands new habits. These newer habits have to be learned by us and put into practice. Many of those are so far apart from the habits we once knew that they call us to deny ourselves and even deconstruct what we once knew to be true. God’s goal into making us a new creature is that we would be able to live a life of freedom and enjoyment. I know some of you would read this and cringe at the word ‘enjoyment’ but remember, when God created Adam and Eve where did He place them? Eden, indeed. Eden means ‘delight’, ‘delicacy’, ‘pleasure’, ‘paradise’. So God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of ‘delight’ for their enjoyment. He gave them an assignment to work it and continue to make it grow. Doing so would have increased their enjoyment. So, no, God is not a killer-joy. As a matter of fact, He is the most joyful being we could ever know! Since God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, it is evident that what He wanted for us in the beginning has not changed today which means God still wants you to have freedom and enjoyment. He wants you to delight in Him so that you will bear much fruit.

The concept of bearing fruit is one that Jesus talked a lot about (John 15, parable of talents). He said multiple times in John that we can do nothing apart from him and that we must abide in him in order to bear much fruit. He also said that he is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). The branches find their sustenance in the vine and without the vine they will die. For us to bear fruits, we have to abide in Jesus. Unfortunately, we fail to realize that we are branches and that we need the vine to survive. We are quick to believe the lie that we can sustain ourselves because we trust in our own “chariots and horses” instead of trusting in the Lord who makes the heavens and the earth. A common theme you find in the lives of those who lived wholeheartedly for God is that they were always quick to admit their inabilities. They never went before the Lord as people who had it all, no, they were all humble. These people trusted in the Lord and not in themselves. The creator of the universe knew our limitations that is why He gave us His law; that is why he gave us the Holy Spirit. The first book of Psalms says “blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on it he meditates day and night”(Psalm 1:1-2). Such a man bears much fruit in its season ( Psalm 1:3). The key to bearing much fruit is to abide in God and the way to abide in God is to meditate on His word day and night. Immersing yourself in the word of God, understanding it, believing it and doing it will inevitably make you bear much fruit. When you think about the many commandments that tell us to meditate on the law of God, you understand how crucial it is for our survival. Even Jesus, being the Son of God was not exempt from such commands, he too, meditated on the word of God, he too, was immersing himself with the will of the Father and doing it, and yet he was without sin but as a man he used all the tools that the Father had made available for us to grow and bear fruit. I have noticed that one of the primary ways through which the devil steers us away from the narrow path of bearing fruit is by satisfying the desires of our flesh, particularly in the area of food. I was struck at how much time we spend eating and preparing for food, as well as how much of our lives revolve around it! I have always noted that when I am fasting, I have more time on my hand which can be put to use for other things. No wonder, we are called to fast and give up the one thing that seems to take so much of ourselves to the point we forget who we are. It might not be believable to you but people kill for food, lives are destroyed because it. In the bible, a dispute that could have turned into a war was about food. Food is important to us; we need it to survive, our body thrives on it but it cannot be what we rely on to live. God, in His sovereignty knew the grip food has on us and that is why He said that “man shall not leave on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). Jesus came and he said that he is the “bread of life” (John 6:35). These two statements alone should cause us to stop and ponder about what we truly need for our growth and sustenance. Jesus essentially says that He is the food you need to grow, he is all that! Eat him, drink him and you will live and be satisfied. Ironically, this made me think of the Lord’s Supper. The equation is simple, abide in Jesus (eat him as the bread of life) and you will have life and have it abundantly and by extension you will bear much fruit. As redundant as it might be, Jesus is indeed the answer for everything!

How then do you concretely abide in Jesus? If I look at the lives of the patriarchs and followers of Christ that have borne much fruits (think of the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11), I see that they displayed the fruits of the spirit in their lives. These people were strong in their faith, courageous, obedient, loving, kind, peaceful, perseverant, self-controlled and more. Furthermore, they had a lasting impact in the lives of people around them and in generations to come. Their lives was not just a blessing to them or their family members but it was a blessing for many (as a matter of fact, we too are also beneficiaries of it). I cannot help but I think of Jesus, he was joyful, he was kind, he was compassionate, he was willing to serve, he was always bringing salvation in various forms (healing, freedom from demonic powers, feeding the hungry, etc.) and his life was a blessing for those in his time and for us here today. Bearing fruit definitely include leaving a good legacy. So today, I ask you what are you building your life on? What conscious steps can you take to make sure you abide in Jesus in order to bear much fruit? Remember, Jesus has already given us the answer to this dilemma: abide in Him. I pray the Lord gives you grace as you take steps to abide in him. Amen.