To bear fruit

 

I love this photo. When I first glanced at it, it reminded me of babies wrapped in blankets. The figs are the babies' heads, and the leaves are the blankets. It made me think of how the Holy Spirit wraps us up in His loving arms when we are babes in Christ. He protects us just as these leaves are protecting their precious fruits. Eventually, the leaves will open and the fruit will mature. It will be picked and eventually offer nourishment to a stranger.

To bear fruit is to be Christlike. The Spirit gives us this fruit. I really like what David Guzik (EnduringWord.com) wrote:

Fruit has several important characteristics.
· Fruit isn’t achieved by working, but is birthed by abiding.
· Fruit is fragile.
· Fruit reproduces itself.
· Fruit is attractive.
· Fruit nourishes.

     I often think of the barren fig trees in the Bible. One was a parable (Luke 13:6-9) and the other an event where Jesus cursed the fig tree for not bearing any fruit. (Mark 11:12-20) Non-believers watch believers. I believe they want to see that we're different, that we have special "insight" and peace. They even recognize the ways in which we're different. How many times have you had a non-believer ask you to pray for them? I think that shows that they want to believe, that they know there's truth to what we say, but they're just not quite there yet.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

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Please join me this week in praising the Holy Spirit. Pray that those who consider themselves Christians yet bear no fruit come to question whether the Spirit is living within them. Let's pray that if they are not yet truly saved, they seek Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Let's pray that if they are saved, they grow in their faith and strive to become more Christlike. May we recognize those who are living on either cusp and offer them discipleship. Pray for words, encouragement, and guidance to help those who are lost. 

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