Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a)
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt. 7:16-20)
In the mid-1970’s I heard Richard Jones, a Sears-Roebuck Vice President at the time, speak from the Galatians passage above at a church laymen’s retreat in Pennsylvania. The gist of the talk was that fruit grows best when tended, nurtured, fertilized, watered, weeded and otherwise treated with tender, loving care and not neglected. He of course elaborated in wonderful detail how we nurture and grow our own spiritual fruit.
The Matthew passage above clearly describes the fruit expected from each kind of tree. The Galatians passage delineates the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. Some folks have said that this “fruit of the Spirit” is plural and not every Christian will possess all those attributes, thinking of them more as gifts as discussed in the previous post.
I would suggest that this fruit is singular and is to be expected in every Christian, though not necessarily in the same proportions in everyone. The fruit of the orange tree is the orange. Each orange may have the same attributes but in different proportions. For example, they will all have a skin but the skin may be a different thickness or even shade of color; the seeds may vary in number; the sweetness may vary; the quantity of juice may be different; the number of slices and the membrane thickness may vary; etc. The farmer may cultivate the enhancement of the more desirable attributes by how he cares for the trees.
In the same way, when we are born again and God’s DNA is in control of our lives, our fruit should be recognizable. If we feel lacking in any of the attributes listed, we should be getting in the Word and letting God direct us in ways to cultivate them to grow.
There is a story harvested from the Internet that seems at least somewhat appropriate here:
Malachi 3:3 reads: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
There may be times when God is doing His own processing in the development of the attributes of our fruit of the Spirit. We should not neglect the gardening that is within our power to increase our own “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. And we should not be surprised when God is refining us so that not only He, but also others, can see His image in us.
I find it useful when the Bible refers to the “fruit of the Spirit” to use this template and not confuse “fruit” with “gifts” or vocational results from the exercise of those gifts. Our job is to plant the seed wherever we are gifted, and let God do His job which is to give the increase. At the same time, we can be doing our “fruit enhancement” gardening by seeking more of God and less of self, including self-gratification pursuits.
Lord, I pray that Your image and fruit may be seen in me!
