If This Fruit Could Talk

Blake Barbera

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:15-18).

When we think of what it means to be a Christian, any number of things typically come to mind: churchgoers, do-gooders, nice people, folks who pray a lot, folks who don’t cuss, drink, or smoke. What do all of these have in common? 

They can all be done by non-Christians.

Now you may not know very many non-Christians who go to church and pray regularly, but the point is that doing these things doesn’t make you a Christian. They are likely the result of you already being one. 

While Jesus is certainly not saying that our actions don’t matter, what he is saying is that, as his followers, we are not defined by what we do, but rather, by our relationship to him.

Fruit doesn’t grow as a result of its effort. When was the last time you came across an apple that was stressed-out about not being big enough, juicy enough, or red enough?

Fruit trees also cannot fake what they are. Have you ever seen an apple tree grow bananas? 

People, on the other hand, have a great propensity to try and fake their fruit, especially because as far as the world is concerned, who we are is defined by what we do.

However, in God’s kingdom, nothing can be faked. And Jesus is not interested in making us appear to be a certain type of people. He’s not interested in changing the appearance of our fruit; he’s interested in changing the fruit itself – in transforming who we are from the inside-out.

The last thing Jesus wants is for us to attempt enhancing our fruit outside of having a direct relationship with him. However, when we make our relationship with Jesus the priority in our lives, He does the heart-transforming work that brings forth genuine, living fruit whose end is to nourish others. 

All the while you and I get to avoid the toil and strife that comes from trying to cultivate or our own fruit.

Are there ways in which you’ve put “living for God” ahead of having a relationship with him? Are there ways in which you’ve focused too much on the fruit your life produces as opposed to the God who wants to produce fruit in and through you? Take a moment today and reflect on this thought: God doesn’t love us because our lives yield fruit, our lives yield fruit because God loves us.