What does it mean to bear fruit as a Christian believer?
Boyd Bailey says it’s important to understand that bearing fruit is not an option for Christ-followers, it’s a requirement. However, when we abide in Christ, He empowers us to bear good fruit; we don’t do it based on our own self effort.
Boyd shares his thoughts on the parable of the fig tree which didn’t bear fruit from Luke 13.
“The Lord expects His children to bear fruit. A life without fruit takes up space, instead of being an expression of God’s grace. Our heavenly Father is patient, but He draws a line in the sand of time and says to individuals, institutions, and nations, ‘repent or lose my favor.’”
Losing God’s favor doesn’t mean we lose salvation, but it isn’t something we want to take lightly.
“Sometimes if I’m not careful I’ll excuse my bad behavior and blame it on the way my parents raised me or the culture I live in. I kind of gloss over that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. These are things that God wants to nurture in our lives over time.”
Recently Boyd was reminded of this call to bear fruit when he was walking on the campus of a monastery during a silent retreat. He walked past some old oak trees with Spanish moss hanging from them.
“It was like God was saying to my heart, I want your roots to go deep into My Word and I want to bear fruit through your life, but it’s going to be fruit that remains.”
“When Jesus talks about fruit that remains, it refers to fruit of other people’s salvation, where they can eternally be with Him because we lived the Gospel and perhaps shared it as well.”
Ultimately, God wants our roots to go deep with Him and bear fruit so that it can be a testimony of the Holy Spirit working through our life.
Boyd Bailey, the author of Wisdom Hunters devotionals, is the founder of Wisdom Hunters, Inc., an Atlanta-based ministry created to encourage Christians (a.k.a., wisdom hunters) to apply God’s unchanging Truth in a changing world.
Two minutes in the Bible with Boyd Bailey
