Fruit Never Lies - Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

If someone says he planted corn but what grows is a rice plant, then that person must have planted rice. Fruit can never lie. What we produce indicates what kind of tree we have. If the fruit produced is good, then the tree must also be good; conversely, a bad tree will be impossible to produce good fruit.

The tree being referred to is our character. Character is what makes us do what we do, say what we say, and achieve what we achieve. It is very important for us to truly grow in our character. In reality, every challenge and every task we do each day will shape our character. With good and strong character, we will be able to go beyond every limit in our lives.

PLANT AND CARE FOR A GOOD TREE

What must be our concern and focus is to plant and care for a good tree. Make sure our plant is a tree that brings blessing to others and glorifies the name of the Lord. A tree that brings no benefit to others does not need to be planted at all. Building good character is never in vain, even if in the process the impact is not immediately visible. However, when the time of testing comes, the fruit will be seen.

NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE FRUIT, THE FRUIT IS AUTOMATIC

Good fruit will surely come from a good tree. This is a fixed law of nature, and God has also said so in the Bible.

Matthew 7:17  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Therefore, we do not need to worry about what kind of fruit we will produce. We do not need to be result oriented but become process oriented, seeing the process of care and formation as our orientation. If we allow our focus to rest only on results, then our growth will tend to be temporary and will not last long. Remember, if good fruit has not yet appeared, perhaps there is a process being neglected or it is not yet time to bear fruit. Just wait!

Not all plants are the same. Some grow quickly and bear fruit quickly, while others grow and bear fruit slowly. Mushrooms grow in just one night, but Chinese bamboo can seem not to grow during its first 5 years. It turns out that all that time is needed to build strong roots. That short mushroom plant survives only for a while, whereas Chinese bamboo can reach 30 meters and live for decades. Of course, the bamboo tree could not support growth that tall if it did not have strong roots.

A TREE DOES NOT ENJOY ITS OWN FRUIT, BUT OTHER PEOPLE DO

A tree never enjoys its own fruit. The happiness of the tree is that it has produced its best fruit. Making others happy and glorifying God should be our objective. The fruit in our lives should be enjoyed by many people. Let the fruit we have be a benefit to those around us, so that our lives become lives that contribute.

Adapted from Pastor Togar Sianturi's blog article

*Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area; if you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

Related articles: 3 Things About Following God