BY OUR FRUIT

By our fruits they will know us. Not by how many verses we share or how many tracts we’ve handed out. Our public prayer and our church attendance doesn't reveal our fruit nor does the depth of our knowledge or how theologically correct our sermons are.

It is the quiet moments that matter. Outside of our church walls are we compassionate? Are we merciful? Do we really love others? Does His kindness live within us?

We love to celebrate and revere the giftings though. We may teach well or speak in the prophetic tongue but are we forgiving? His power may flow, but only good fruit is watered and grown through a life surrendered. We may hold church office or even reason biblical truths with accuracy but still hold bitterness inside. We can preach the red letters of His word and still miss the heart of His teachings.

We can be empowered to do His powerful works and have words of knowledge but still hold hearts full of scorn. We can speak in the language of the angels and at the same time hold split tongues that spews death and condemnation.

True fruit, good fruit shows in how you treat those who brought you pain or in making peace with an enemy. True fruit shows mercy to the other. Our fruit is not weighed on the scales of our giftings or even in how right we may be. He weighs our fruit on the scale of a transformed heart and how we use it.

Don’t seek gifts to be admired or to be seen as spiritual and pious. Go the path of the hard things, pray that He would prune you. Pray that He would deeply break you, pray that He would give you His heart of flesh and His eyes so that you might be truly transformed.

The world doesn’t need another church or those more gifted. The world sorely needs common men and women, humble and contrite with the fruit of the Spirit lived out in surrendered compassion. The world needs more who carry His nature and heart shown by their wholesome fruit. We will never be known by our gifts but we will be known by His nature that births the good fruit in our lives.

"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. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." – Matthew 7:15-20