Bearing Fruit

‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. ‘ John 15:16

What does bearing fruit connote?

1. An internal process
2. A state of being
3. Birthing/producing
4. Fruitfulness

The Cambridge dictionary defines bearing fruit as ‘being successful, especially after a lot of work or effort.’ Therefore, anyone that puts in a lot of work or effort can be successful, right? I wonder why some hardworking people, who have put in time and effort, sacrificing family, have been disappointed. Is bearing fruit or being successful really about a lot of work or effort?

‘Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ‘ John 15:4-5 

That’s the ‘secret.’ To bear fruit, be successful, fruitful, and to flourish, for God’s children is to abide in Christ. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word abide in the following ways, amongst others, as shown below:

1. To remain stable or fixed in a state
2. To continue in a place 

Sample Story: Nassim sought God about buying a product, and God told him to go ahead and how much to spend. He took off, confident in the fact that God had sent him. He got there and experienced problems paying, his account was debited for the amount God told him, but he couldn’t access the product. At the end of the day, Nassim had to pay a second time, but this time, a lower amount, not sure that the same problem would not crop up. He went home confused and depressed, not understanding if he really had heard God or if his mind had been playing tricks on him.

My questions:

1. Is Nassim the first person God has sent out that encountered problems? No, the Bible and most Christians have stories of God sending people out and the challenges they faced doing God’s will
2. Does facing challenges mean that God is not with us? No
3. What was expected of Nassim at the point where he encountered the problem? To stay stable and fixed in and on Christ. Respond and not react.

To be firm or fixed in Christ is to be grounded in our faith that He is and that He rewards those that diligently seek Him. It was okay for Nassim to go with the flow when everything was working out, but when challenges came, his Spirit took a blow. Stability is to build on the rock, that is, Christ. An unyielding belief in God’s goodness, revealed by His Spirit.

What fruits are we expected to bear as children of God?

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

A natural man cannot bear these fruits, no matter how much he forces himself. They are spiritual and can only be borne in the Spirit, as we stay fixed in Christ. Our parents taught us to lead good lives, lives worthy of emulation. The world, as we know it, has nothing to do with good, the ‘thing’ is money, goodness never fed anybody. God has prepared another way that has nothing to do with being good or having money. A path for the chosen in Christ, the ones that will bear fruit that remains, whose lives will continue to speak, inspire, teach and bless, even after they are long gone. 

As we continue to celebrate life in Christ, may we bear fruit as we walk in the Spirit, with diligence.

Till next time, be transformed!!