Is There Fruit on Your Tree?

 

By Andrea Merrell

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

Let’s face it, Christianity has been given a bad rap. By whom? Unfortunately, mostly by Christians.

Author Sheldon Vaneuken writes:

The best argument for Christianity is Christians—their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians—when they are somber … joyless … self-righteous … smug … narrow … and repressive.

A follower of Christ should be easily recognizable. The Bible says we’ll be know by our fruit. The Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are all manifestations of the Spirit of God who lives inside us. Many of us would do well just to put a smile on our face.

This is what the Passion translation says in Matthew 7:16:

You can spot them by their actions, for the fruits of their character will be obvious. You won’t find sweet grapes hanging on a thorn bush, and you’ll never pick good fruit from a tumbleweed.

Good fruit? Bad Fruit? It’s our choice what we produce. This world is in desperate need of Christians who will step up to the proverbial plate, stop complaining, and allow the Holy Spirit of God to fill them with God’s very own peace, love, and joy. That’s what the world needs to see in us.

What kind of fruit is being produced on your tree?

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and digitalart.)

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This world is in desperate need of Christians who are producing the Fruit of the Spirit. via @AndreaMerrell(Click to tweet.)

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