“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).
Jody brushed the clods of dirt off her hands and tapped her trowel on the edge of the garden path. “That does it!” she thought. “I’ve done my part. Now it’s up to this garden to hold up its end of the bargain!” As she walked toward the house, Jody wondered at how she kept seeing rows and rows of weeds in her mind every time she closed her eyes. It felt as if she had been weeding and planting for a thousand days! But it would be worth it, she knew, when the squash and tomatoes were ripe and ready to eat. She could almost taste them now!
How do you think Jody would feel if she came to her garden at harvesttime, after all that work she put into it, only to see that none of her crops had grown in? What if none of her tomato plants decided to yield a single tomato? What if her squash vines decided to bear a pumpkin or a carrot, but no squash? What if the ears of corn never grew kernels?
That would be a strange harvest, and incredibly disappointing. Think of all the work Jody poured into her garden. How do you think it would feel to not get any fruit after all those hours of planting, watering, and weeding?
Discipleship is hard work too. The whole growing process for a Christian is a hard thing. But did you know that God is glorified when His people bear fruit? The Bible teaches about the kinds of things we should see growing in our hearts: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, kindness—all sorts of amazing characteristics. They should be a part of every believer’s life, and every believer should be growing in this kind of “fruit” every day.
Do you know why God is so glorified when we bear fruit? Because ultimately, He is the One Who deserves the credit for our growth. God expects us to become more and more like His Son, but He also works in our hearts to change us so that we can! He gives us the desire to grow. He enables, strengthens, and gives grace to help us. And His power is greater than any human power. Only God can bring spiritually dead people to life and grow them into spiritual fruit bearers.
God gets all the glory when His disciples bear spiritual fruit.
My response:
» What kind of “fruit” is my life bearing right now?
» Do I desire to glorify God?
» How can I glorify God more with my thoughts, words, and actions?