I went to the little store out in the area where we live the other day (yes, there is a little store out here in the boonies). We were at the back side, getting air in a tire, and I noticed a row of stick trees planted and tied up along the back fence line. I wonder what kind of trees they are. Since the frost has been on the pumpkin for several weeks already, and all the livestock water has had ice on it, I guess I will have to wait until the trees produce leaves and fruit to find out what kind they are. A tree is known by its fruit, and God says that Christians are known by our fruit also.

The question is what kind… and how much fruit do we have?

Jesus says in John 15:16 that we did not choose Him, but that He chose us, and appointed us, that we should bear fruit, and that our fruit should remain. We are appointed for the purpose of bearing lasting fruit. We are supposed to bear fruit, bear a lot of fruit (John 15:5) and have the type of fruit that remains. In Galatians 5:22 we see that the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We are supposed to have that fruit in our life in abundance and in lasting form. A few days ago, I was “Starting My Day Right” with the Joyce Meyer devotional. She was talking about peace, and the end of the devotional read:

“ No matter what is happening, remain consistent, continue treating people well, continue walking in the fruit of the Spirit. You don’t know what kind of fruit you have until somebody comes along and squeezes it. You don’t know how much fruit you have until somebody is picking it all day.”

Those last two sentences are the important ones- You don’t know what kind of fruit you have until someone starts squeezing it, and we don’t know how much we have until somebody picks it all day!

Ever been squeezed? Ever had your fruit picked all day? Those times of squeezing and picking show us who we really are, how much we are like Jesus, how much control in our life His Holy Spirit really has. I have had my fruit squeezed. Sometimes it has borne up. Sometimes it has turned to a mushy mess in the squeezer’s hand. I have also had my fruit picked all day long. At times I have run out of fruit by 9:00 AM, and sometimes I have lasted all day, only to collapse at the end of the day with nothing more left.

Can you relate? Take heart. Your purpose in life is to bear much fruit that remains. Remember John 15:5 and 16? We are chosen by God to bear much lasting fruit, and the key to it is staying in Him. In verse 5, we are encouraged that if we stay in Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to not only have access, but RULE in our hearts and lives, we WILL bear fruit. The more we focus and concentrate on Jesus and make our relationship with God our Father the center of our existence, the more fruit of the Holy Spirit will grow and mature in us. We will bear much, lasting fruit.

I know it seems like trees just grow fruit with no bother from anyone, but that is not true. Gardeners and those working in agriculture know that if you want a good healthy bumper crop, (good fruit, and a lot of it- bearing much fruit) you have to put some work and effort into creating optimal conditions for fruit bearing. A caretaker needs to aerate the soil, break up the fallow ground, maintain a good water source, check for nutrient content, etc. We have to expend some effort in our lives also, if we want to yield a good and lasting crop of fruit. We have to soak our roots in the Word and presence of God. We have to hide that Word in our hearts (out of the heart of a man comes forth what is in a man). We have to accept God’s amazing grace and walk in it. We have to talk to Him and tell Him what we need- where we need help. We need to submit to God’s pruning in our lives so that we will bear more fruit (v.2).

Our fruit glorifies the Father (v.8), proves we are His disciples (v.8), and shows that we are abiding in Christ (v.5, 7, 16).

So the next time someone comes around and squeezes on your love, joy, peace, patience (that is a biggie)…etc, or picks all your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self -control bare, remember Who your source of strength is (greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world), who you are attached to (the Vine), and who is working in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. His good pleasure, by the way is to bear fruit)

Continue to walk in the Spirit even though you are being squeezed and picked on all day. God will enable you to carry on, and at the end of the day you will be amazed to find perhaps more fruit than you ever imagined you could have. (Psalm 1:3)