Known by Their Fruits
Come on up to the porch and rest your feet a little ‘ole minute. The day’s young, the coffee’s hot, and as my granny would say, “A little kindness never hurt nobody ’cept maybe a rattlesnake.” As you care for others today, don’t forget this: the Lord cares for you even more.
Now Jesus once said, “You can spot a tree by the fruit it bears” in Matthew 7:20. And that’s about as plain as a farmer pointing at an apple tree and saying, “Reckon them’s apples.” The question is what kind of fruit hangs off your branches?
Some folks treat Christianity like a “Get Out of Trouble Free” card. They’ll follow Jesus as long as the road is smooth, the weather’s fair, and nobody fusses at ’em. But the moment the trail gets bumpy, they scatter faster than a kid in the school yard hearing the teacher holler his name.
But real disciples, now that’s a different story. When you follow Jesus wholeheartedly, fruit starts popping up everywhere. Not peaches and plums, mind you, but spiritual fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control (Galatians 5:22-23). An ‘ole pompous, barnyard rooster would flap his wings and say, “I say, boy, now that’s the good stuff!”
In Mark 4, Jesus told a story about seeds falling on different kinds of soil. Only the good soil produced a harvest, thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold (vs. 20). That’s what happens when God’s Word sinks deep into a willing heart. It grows. It changes you. And folks around you can’t help but notice.
Your words start sounding sweeter. Your actions start looking kinder. Your heart starts beating more like His. That’s spiritual fruit, and it’s the mark of a true disciple.
Father, plant Your Word deep within me. Water it with Your Spirit. Grow in me the fruit of Christ with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control. Remove anything that stunts my growth and make my life a testimony of Your grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Now step off this porch and into your day knowing this: discipleship isn’t proven by what we claim. It’s revealed by what we produce. So, go out there and bear good fruit. Let your words bless, your actions shine, and your heart reflect the God who cares for you more than you can imagine.
With joy,
Gwen
