Category Archives: Fruit

Abundance, Bible, Fruit, God's Will, Gospel, Scripture, Unfruitful

FRUIT BEARING

COLOSSIANS 1:6

“which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth;” 

Trees that don’t bear fruit often meet a fatal end. The farmers can’t afford to have a tree take up valuable land and nutrients if isn’t producing fruit. There are so many stories in the Bible about fruit bearing. Jesus told several Himself. In Luke 13:6-9, Jesus tells this parable. “6 And He began telling this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, “Look! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?” 8 But he answered and said to him, “Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.”’”

The Greek word Paul uses for “bearing fruit” is karpophoreó. Strong’s Lexicon says karpophoreó “is often used metaphorically to refer to the visible results or outcomes of a person’s life or actions, particularly in a spiritual or moral context. The term implies productivity and the manifestation of inner qualities or virtues.” Just as God expected Israel to bear fruit (the image of the fig tree in the parable), He expects us to do the same.

APPLICATION

But Carl, I’m not a preacher. Nobody said you had to be a preacher to bear fruit. Our verse today says the gospel will itself bear fruit, if we will just share it. You don’t win a soul to heaven. God does through the Holy Spirit. You are simply the tool He has chosen to use. If you didn’t realize it already, God still uses people to accomplish His will.

This word karpophoreó is used eight times in the New Testament. Four times it is used in the Gospels (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20, 28; Luke 8:15) where Jesus is telling the parable of the sower. Paul uses it twice in Romans (7:4, 5) referring to the battle between law and grace producing fruit for life or death. Then finally we have the last two occurrences in Colossians (1:6, 10). We will see verse 10 in a few days.

Why am I telling you all this? Because fruit bearing is important. Take a minute and read John 15. Look at how the vine and branches are meant to produce fruit. We are the branches designed by God to produce fruit for His kingdom. Share the gospel. Share His Word. Tell someone about Jesus this Christmas season and watch how God will produce the fruit.

Forgive me Father, for not being more bold in witnessing about Jesus. Use me to produce fruit for Your kingdom.

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Bible, Darkness, Fruit, Light, Scripture, Unfruitful

DEEDS OF DARKNESS

EPHESIANS 5:11

“Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;”

I remember in elementary school doing science experiments. One experiment involved planting seeds and allowing them to germinate. Once they were all about 2 inches tall, we placed some in the sunlight and others in a dark closet to measure the effect of light on these plants. You know what happened. The plants placed in the dark stopped growing and began to wither while the ones in the light continue to grow and flourish.

Paul is giving the Ephesians this same picture through his words. The Greek word for “useless” is akarpos which is literally “no fruit.” Paul tells them to “not participate” with such deeds. The Greek here literally says don’t have fellowship. There are some things which a believer just cannot participate in. Do I need to name them? I don’t think so. You know. The good rule of thumb is if you have a doubt, don’t do it.

APPLICATION

The Jamieson-Fausett-Brown Bible Commentary says this about these useless or unfruitful deeds of darkness. “Sins are terminated in themselves, and therefore are called ‘works,’ not ‘fruits’ (Ga 5:19, 22). Their only fruit is that which is not in a true sense fruit (De 32:32), namely, ‘death’ (Ro 6:21; Ga 6:8). Plants cannot bear ‘fruit’ in the absence of light. Sin is ‘darkness,’ and its parent is the prince of darkness (Eph 6:12). Graces, on the other hand, as flourishing in ‘the light,’ are reproductive, and abound in fruits; which, as harmoniously combining in one whole, are termed (in the singular) ‘the FRUIT of the Spirit’ (Eph 5:9).”

Well, that is pretty exhaustive. I don’t think I could even attempt to explain it better. Light produces fruit. Darkness produces death. Not only does Paul tells us not to fellowship with these deeds, it’s a command. The Greek verb there is Present Imperative. Don’t do it and keep on not doing it. In other words, Paul is telling the Ephesians to turn their backs on these previous dark deeds they had been part of.

Can you do that? Can you turn your back on your past deeds of darkness? Carl, I don’t have any deeds of darkness to stop. Oh, really? We all have past sins that we drag along like a wet blanket. Drop them now. Give them up. Walk in the light so you can produce the fruit God has called you to produce.

Let me walk in the Light as You are in the Light.

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Abiding, Bible, Fruit, Gentleness, Production, Scripture, Self-control

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, PART 2

GALATIANS 5:23

“gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

No law! I like the sound of that. Absolute freedom! What a world! That may sound great, but have you stopped to think how this world would look if we didn’t have laws? All you have to do is look at the protests and riots that are happening all over the world right now. People are ignoring already existing laws and making them up as they go along. Today’s verse isn’t about being set free from these kind of laws, though.

Paul wraps up his list of the fruit of the Spirit with two more in this verse. “Gentleness” is a little Greek word that means gentle strength. It is not weakness. “Self-control” implies a power from within. In the case of a believer, that power comes from the Holy Spirit. Doing good (all the fruit he has just mentioned in verses 22 and 23) is well…a good thing. Who is going to complain about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Only those who can’t produce it.

APPLICATION

So, how do you produce this fruit? In John 15 Jesus tells us. Beginning in verse 4 we read, “‘Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.’” You see, it’s not about what you can do. Your only job is to “remain” in Him. He produces the fruit through you.

Then Jesus went on to say in verse 5, “‘I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.’” I like that! I can bear “much fruit” through Him. He didn’t say “a little fruit” or simply “fruit.” He said “much fruit.” Jesus promises me much fruit if I will just abide in Him, if I will just rest in Him.

Therein lies the problem, doesn’t it? We don’t want to abide in Him too closely. We want our freedom! Don’t you understand that when we bind ourselves to Jesus, we are truly set free? It doesn’t make sense, I know, but most of the wisdom of God seems like foolishness to man. Let Jesus be the source of any fruit you produce. Give Him glory for the results.

I choose the fruit of the Spirit over the deeds of the flesh today, Lord. Work in and through me.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Faithfulness, Fruit, Goodness, Holy Spirit, Joy, Love, Patience, Peace, Scripture

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, PART 1

GALATIANS 5:22

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

When I was a Children’s Pastor, one of the favorite music videos of the kids was one of Uncle Charlie’s entitled “Fruit of the Spirit.” It was fun and interactive for the kids. But it also taught them about the fruit of the Spirit which we will see in today’s and tomorrow’s blogs. Those fruit that are listed are not of us. They come from the Spirit. Let’s take a look at some.

Paul lists seven of the nine fruit of the Spirit in today’s verse. Many scholars argue about Paul’s lists throughout his letters. Many of them say that the first thing he lists kind of characterizes the rest of the things in the list. That may be true here, because none of these are possible without “love,” which is the first thing listed. MacLauren says this, “‘The fruit of the Spirit,’ says Paul, not the fruits, as we might more naturally have expected, and as the phrase is most often quoted; all this rich variety of graces, of conduct and character, is thought of as one. The individual members are not isolated graces, but all connected, springing from one root and constituting an organic whole.”

APPLICATION

How do you show joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness if you do not have love, specifically the love of Christ? Paul says over in Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” It is because of that indwelling Spirit that you have love for Him and others. As a result, the fruit is produced.

You may have heard people say, “Well, we can’t judge but we can sure be fruit inspectors.” That’s a dangerous view and one I have been guilty of. Of course, we expect a believer to be a fruit producer if they are walking with Christ. But sometimes life gets hard, and we experience a crop failure. There isn’t any fruit.

Then what do you do? You return to the One who gave you that love to begin with. Remember the words of Paul over in Ephesians 1:13-14, “13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” You’ve been sealed. That love is sealed in. Therefore, let that Spirit of Christ produce in you what He wants to produce.

Father, I want to yield a bumper crop of fruit for You.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Fruit, Gospel, Scripture, Witnessing

WHAT DID HE SAY?

GALATIANS 4:27

“For it is written: ‘REJOICE, INFERTILE ONE, YOU WHO DO NOT GIVE BIRTH; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE ONE ARE MORE NUMEROUS THAN THOSE OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.’”

Famous quotes are often used to drive home a point someone is trying to make. Sometimes those quotes sound a little strange out of its context. Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” is an example. I mean, who says that? Only someone who is prepared to fight for his freedom. We will see a quote today that if taken by itself may sound a bit strange. Let’s see how Paul used it.

In today’s verse, Paul is quoting Isaiah 54:1. Why? He is using this verse to show how the Gentiles were going to be used in the kingdom of God far and above what the Jews would be. Sure, it all started in the Jewish nation, but through Jesus the love of God spread to all the Gentile world. That “infertile one” represented these Gentiles who now have given birth and can rejoice in the Lord.

APPLICATION

For me, this verse shows the importance of disciple making. We are commanded in Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples of every nation. It is not just about making converts. It goes beyond that. We need to teach these believers how to make other believers. Just as the Gentiles spread the good news to their neighbors, we are to do the same.

Jesus told us in Mark 16:15, “‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’” Later in this letter to the Galatians, Paul says this in 6:9. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Are we all sowing seed? Are we reaping a harvest? Well, just like a farmer, sometimes we reap better crops than other times.

Let me encourage you today to take to heart the promise we find in today’s verse. The formerly barren one gave birth. You may feel barren today in regard to your witnessing, but you can change that by submitting to the Spirit Who is within you. Let Him guide you to those who need to hear the Word. Then share it boldly. God is the one who produces the harvest. Watch Him work.

Father, I am so thankful that Your salvation extended to me. Use me to spread the Gospel to others.

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Abiding, Abundance, Angels, Bible, Encouragement, Fruit, Goodness, Messiah, Prophesy, Scripture

THE BRANCH

ZECHARIAH 3:8

“‘“Now listen, Joshua, you high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a sign: for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch.”’”

I have had a lot of nicknames. I was called Carlie Warlie by my siblings when we were children. My sisters still call me that sometimes. I was called C-dub by a college roommate. My favorite name to be called is Dad. I love that I am a dad to my kids. I am called Poppy now by my grandkids. That is the best one yet.

So, who is “the Branch” in Zechariah’s vision. Many scholars say (and I agree) that this is a reference to the Messiah. We have other prophets use this term. Isaiah 4:2 and 11:1 call Him “the Branch.” Jeremiah uses the same term in 23:5-6 and 33:15. This Branch, the Messiah, is being foretold by the angel who is addressing Zechariah. We know this was fulfilled through Jesus.

APPLICATION

Do you know He has come? Jesus, the Messiah, the Branch, came over 2,000 years ago to fulfill the prophecies of these prophets. More importantly, He came to bring salvation to mankind. A branch reaches out. It lifts up. It bears the fruit. It provides shade from the heat. The Branch is given to us so that we can have all these things.

Have you come up under the Branch? Have you experienced the pleasures of His shade? Jesus wants to bring you so much more than comfort. He wants to bring you life, and life more abundantly. This Branch can never be cut off. It will stand forever. There is no danger of losing its protection, if you will just come up under it and receive what it has to give.

I have seen all kinds of branches. I have seen them from above and below. I have seen them while standing among them. But there is only one true Branch. Jesus is the Branch upon which I rest. He is sturdy and sure. Come to Him now.

Thank You, Lord, for providing the Branch for us.

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Bible, Blessing, Family, Fruit, Treasures, Wealth

YOUR TREASURE

NAHUM 2:9

“Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! For there is no end to the treasure—wealth from every kind of desirable object.”

One of my children’s favorite movies was “Goonies.” These kids in the movie are seeking a pirate treasure in the caves around their hometown. They eventually find it after fighting off some bad guys. The treasure has gold, diamonds and precious stones. They let most of the treasure go unclaimed, however, in order to make sure everyone is safe.

All the silver and gold of Nineveh is plundered by their enemies. It was a wealthy city, having conquered other nations and carried off their wealth. Well, turnabout is fair play. Now, all their wealth is being carried off. All they can do is watch. Their end has come.

APPLICATION

What is your treasure? Is it your 401K? How about your home or job? Maybe you consider your family your treasure. All these are temporal. They will not last. They may make you feel good now, but not in eternity. None of these will make a difference when you come to the end of your days.

You see, God’s view of treasure is different than the world’s. Jesus told us in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We prioritize the wrong things too often. Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven. That is only done by living according to His Word. It is done by producing fruit through godly living.

So, what treasures have you laid up in heaven? How are you serving Him today? All those treasures you lay up in heaven will be laid at His feet. That will be a glorious day. We cannot even begin to imagine. He will be glorified!

All I have laid up in heaven, Lord, is Yours. Help me keep my focus on heavenly treasures and not worldly ones.

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Choices, Disciplemaking, Forgiveness, Fruit, Obedience, Redemption, Scripture

THE FRUIT WE BEAR 

MICAH 7:13 

“And the earth will become a wasteland because of her inhabitants, on account of the fruit of their deeds.” 

I am almost sixty-two years old, and I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. Fortunately, most of them were small and did no harm. Others, however, have left lasting impressions on me and others. I am forgiven and loved by my Savior, but I know that not all the fruit that I have put forth has been good. 

Micah switches from a positive thought in verse 12 to a rather negative one here in verse 13. The fruit of their deeds, their sins against God will cause their land to be a wasteland, to be desolate. In fact, to this day, because of their rejection of Christ, the land of Israel is spiritually desolate, without hope as a nation. 

APPLICATION 

What fruit are you bearing? Well Carl, I think I am doing pretty well. I think my fruit tastes good. Would you make jam with it? Are the deeds you perform for the sake of Christ done out of love for Him or simply out of “duty”? What is your motivation for service? These are questions we should all ask ourselves daily. We should strive to produce only the fruit that gives the glory to God. 

I am reminded of John 15, the chapter that talks about the vine and the branch and the fruit. Verse 8 says, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” All glory must go to Him, not us. Any applause we receive for a deed well done must be redirected to Him. 

When I travel and speak, preach or teach others, I often am thanked and told how much they appreciate it. I feel almost embarrassed because that is not my motivation. My motive is to give Him glory. I want to point others to Jesus, to whom all praise is due. Amen? As you do for Him, point to Him. 

I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You. O my soul rejoice. 

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Commitment, Deceit, Devil, Encouragement, Following, Fruit, God's Will, Judgment, Loyalty

PARTING GIFTS

MICAH 1:14

“Therefore you will give parting gifts in behalf of Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will become a deception to the kings of Israel.”

When my wife and I got married over 36 years ago, we were given wedding gifts by friends and family. Some gave money (something a new couple can always use) and others bought things we would need for our home. Wedding gifts are pretty customary in most countries. Some actual require a dowry.

The phrase “parting gifts” can have that meaning – a dowry. You see Judah had so broken their covenant with God that He was giving them over to the pagan invaders. He said to even give them the dowry. He was parting company with them. The deception of idolatry had penetrated the very heart of Judah.

APPLICATION

We need to be very careful what we allow to enter our lives. Satan is sneaky. He loves to slither into our lives and get us to do things we never thought we would do. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

It can happen so quickly. Before you know it, we are participating in things that God frowns on. God will not allow His children to live in sin. Rebuke will come. Correction will happen, sooner or later.

So, what do we do to protect ourselves? We wrap ourselves in Jesus. If you have not read John 15 lately, do that. John explains it so well. We have to abide in the vine. If we do that, if we cling to Him, we will be doing His will and not ours. Abide in Him.

Father, I would never want to hear You tell me to depart Your presence. I know I am secure in Christ. Help me walk closer each day.

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Abiding, Bible, Blessing, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Faithfulness, Fruit, Holy Spirit

SUPERABUNDANCE

AMOS 9:13

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when the plowman will overtake the reaper, and the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed; when the mountains will drip grape juice, and all the hills will come apart.’”

Once, when I had a garden, we grew some green beans in a raised bed. The bed was about 5’x10’. That one bed produced well over 40 quarts of beans for the winter, not counting what we ate during the summer and early fall. It produced superabundantly.

Amos is describing such a scene, but even bigger. God is saying here that He is going to bless Israel so that there will be no time in between the harvest and the seed time. The crops will be so massive that they will keep right on producing right up to the time to plant the seed again. Wow! That’s not how it is supposed to happen.

APPLICATION

How are your crops? Are you producing a meager harvest or one that is overflowing? We could all use some Miracle Grow, couldn’t we? For some of us, our harvest is anemic. If we had to live on what we are producing, we would starve to death. We all need to pay more attention to our harvest.

We nourish our harvest through the watering of the Word. Only the Word can produce the fruit we long to distribute. The Word shows us how to yield ourselves to the Spirit, so His fruit overflows in our lives into the lives of others.

Don’t forget that any fruit we produce is for the benefit of others. We don’t eat our own fruit. The love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self-control we produce is directed toward others in the name of Jesus. It’s kind of like when I shared some of my bounty from my garden with others. The joy I received from doing that was all the payment I needed.

Thank You, Lord, for the superabundance of gifts You have given me. Direct me to those to whom I am to share.

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