Jesus Christ said in John 15:8(NIV), “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Our Lord and Master has given us the requirement for showing ourselves to be his disciples, and it is that we produce much fruit. This assignment is a tremendous privilege for us. It is the way that we follow the example of Christ and live with his power and authority. He said in John 10:10(NKJV), “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Our Lord and Master came to this earth to make a more than abundant life available to us all, and the only way this kind of life can be achieved is by following his example. It’s achieved by doing what he says, which is to bear much fruit.
Galatians 5:22-24(NIV) says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” The fruit that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must produce is love, joy, peace, forbearance or patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We accomplish this by reading and studying God’s Word, by praying and communicating with Him often, and by sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ with others and encouraging them to accept the Lord as their personal Savior as we have.
Often, we leave a testimony of fruit simply by living the example of Christ before others. They are so inspired by our commitment and love for him, that they want what we have. We should live by the Spirit by submitting ourselves to his leadership and guidance. God has given His Holy Spirit to us as a gift, and He has placed the Spirit inside us. It is inside, internally, where we need the greatest help. Many of us know the right thing to do, but we don’t do it. Doing the right thing seems difficult and uncomfortable at times, and many of us will choose the easy way out.
Again, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in the fruit producing business, and some of us are not as committed to do this as others. The Father extends us a tremendous amount of grace, but there will come a time when life will no longer cooperate with our refusal to grow spiritually. There will be a time when our hearts must deepen for God, and we must grow more in the example of Jesus Christ. This can also be the time when the unfinished business of our souls is tied up with someone that we’d rather not confront or deal with. It’s someone that needs to see the brightness of our light and right now we’re not poised to let it shine their way.
Jesus Christ commanded us in Matthew 5:16(NLT), “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” There are certain people that are destined to be impacted by your influence and you are destined to leave a legacy of God’s love on their hearts. It could be a family member you haven’t spoken to for years. It’s also possible for this to be people that we haven’t thought about in a very long time, and we may even have ignored them or offended them in some way. Life will inevitably bring people like this back around, and rather than taking the easy way out, a light bulb should go off in our heads and hearts.
Nothing happens by happenstance. Everything has a reason, and there really are no coincidences when it comes to the things of God. Nothing slips by Him, and Psalm 37:23 tells us that the steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in the righteous way that we move. If we’re praying and communicating often with Him, sometimes He will tell us that we need to open a channel between us and the individual that He has indicated. We must do this to facilitate our own spiritual growth in Christ, and to also carve out a space where forgiveness and peace can usher in God’s divine healing. These things require us to pray and walk in wisdom. As with everything in life, our commitment must be to follow God’s lead. When we do, the end result will always yield a lasting imprint of His love.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Let Your Light Shine”, written by FMack. Springfield Fellowship © 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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