Bearing "Edible" Fruit.

The red gloss of the crisp skin, and the juice that awaited that first bite. A winding trail to the plump treasure of Welches’ goodness. Have you ever seen a basket full of ripe rich apples or a pile of luscious grapes and as you grabbed one, your mouth waters in anticipation of that first bite? Which upon biting, or attempting to bite, your pride falters to recover quite as quickly as your front teeth. Plastic fruit can be so deceiving. Yet why is it that it can deceive? Why do we at first glance think it represents a ripe nutrition?

Why is it that we too offer the same deception to our fellow peers?

Why do we go to church, read the right books, say the acceptable things and go to the suitable places in order to give off appearances? When all we offer is a hard, plastic experience? Is it fear? Is it a lazy nature? Or maybe shallow expectations? Or perhaps we have a false pretense of God’s calling deterred by societies interpretation of our purpose.

If you are living a life bearing deception of “plastic” fruit…you must take a hard look at what your reason is in order to mend it.

In John 15:4-5 we are given a simple and clear picture of what “bearing fruit” looks like to our Heavenly Father. Simple because its one response to two ingredients which produce the life necessary for fruit, and clear because the analogy is the perfect picture of its process. It may be the first example of K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid). It doesn’t get any simpler than this. However, as any other instructional guide it may be simple to understand, yet hard to put into action.

John states: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” First step is simply to have a relationship. Then he provides a reason: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” How simple can you get? Yet, he continues: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bear much fruit; for without me, you can do nothing.” So, in layman terms: Have a relationship with me, because without a relationship, the life designed for you cant happen.

And just as watching a vine give life to branches producing rich fruit, you cannot see the mystery of it, however you vividly see, and taste the effects of its process. Which brings us to the first ingredient to bearing fruit: FAITH.

Faith to believe in God and faith to “walk” daily with Him in a relationship. Faith that by doing so, HE can make something great of you! Faith that what HE says of you is true and possible. Faith that our weakness cannot hinder the great design He created for our lives.

The second ingredient brings you to a place where you realize your desire to step into a life with Christ. HUMILITY. The place you realize you cant. The moment you admit you are inadequate. Humility is the truth that reveals your realistic identity, which you never see until you understand who God is. You would never think the Smokey Mountains were small unless you moved them to the base of Mount Everest. Perspective. Once you have faith in the goodness of Christ, and believe in Him, you see yourself for who you are, rather than who you have convinced yourself you are. Humility says “I need help” Faith says “I can trust God for that help.” And together those ingredients produce this response: life lived by GRACE.

I have studied much on the subject of grace over the years, because frankly, I have used a great deal of grace and wanted to understand it more fully. I think the greatest tragedy in the Christian life is that when we hear the word grace, we tend to think it is God’s longsuffering kindness towards us, that it is merely a benevolent attitude. Although that is a small piece of what Grace offers us. Grace is so much more. It is active- a resource that transforms us from sinners to saved. In the words of a pastor I once heard speak: “grace is the active, powerful, moving and working resources of God working on us, in us and through us.” Grace is the kindness that lavishes us in mercy, but it is also what carries us to obedience and resounds God’s glory. It is what motivates our passions and reveals our soul to the world around us, not as plastic fruit, but as true soul quenching nutrition.

The amazing thing about the grace of God is that we do not deserve it, but He gives it freely. The most important thing to remember that I often forget is that the best part of the grace of God is that we cannot sustain it. When we walk humbly, admitting our need for God’s grace, and in faith, counting on Him, believing in Him, we will undoubtedly produce fruit without hindrance of our self.

Living by Grace is what produces testimonies; it births ministries, roots change and motivates passion. God tells us in Ephesians and again in 2 Corinthians that He designed our purpose and EVERY single good work we will accomplish before He ever created us. Which means He designed us to carry out those good works, specifically. By strategically creating weaknesses and strengths He made those moments possible. By living in Grace we choose to humbly accept ourselves as we are, faithfully walk with him and graciously bring Him glory by carrying out those great things He designed for us to do.

And when your will grows weary and your faith is weak, remember: the good works God planned for us to accomplish does not depend on our strength or resolve. It relies on HIM alone. Faith and Grace are empowered by our willingness not our ability.

Be cautious as you live in this fashion that at times you will falter and live half by grace and half by law. Believing you must work to do good. But remember the law cannot produce good works. It demands it, but grace is what provides it.

If you are like me, these thoughts are challenging and comforting in the same sense. However, although they charge me to want to do great things, there is a big difference wanting to do great things and doing great things. So as I begin to let these challenges take root in my life I pray that as God continues to grow my will, I pray He will also continue to work in me and bring those great things into reality thorough me, revealing His renown through my simple life. After all, I would love to have my expectations in this life to be blown out of the water by the design God had from the beginning! ☺

SO…

IF you are bearing deceptive fruit, why?

Is it fear? Are you timid of how God plans to use you? Are you anxious of where He will ask you to go? Because if so, remember, He designed you for the work He will do through you. You are more than capable when you rely on Him to produce fruit!

Is it a lazy nature? Are you just to weary to step into the uncertainty? Afraid you may have to labor to do God’s will? If so, know that God’s strength is all you need. Good works don’t depend on your own abilities!

If it is shallow expectations, all I can say is why not raise the bar and see what He sees your possibilities to be.

And if you have a false pretense of God’s calling because your view is skewed by societies interpretation of your purpose. Take your eyes and ears off what the world expects of you and allow yourself to focus only what God expects of you. Because the right places are not always the ones that need to see or can see the good works He intends to produce through you. And the acceptable words are not always what will stir the souls of others. Sometimes stepping out of the box will allow you to touch far more lives than when you live within the boundaries that the “right” people put around you.

Dare to live to the fullest by humbling yourself to a faith that lives by grace.