"Fruit"

An unconverted state will bear fruit corresponding with its own essence. It must, in the nature of things, be so. The enmity against God of the carnal mind, the rejection of the Lord Jesus, the governing principle of SELF, the supreme ascendancy of the world, the slavery of sin; indicate, unmistakably, the unrenewed, unregenerate nature from which they spring. We do not expect one to yield the fruits of holiness from an unholy nature. 

The life that an unbeliever lives is in keeping with the unrenewed heart he possesses. He is of the earth, earthly. It is consistent with his unregenerate nature that he should be of the world, that he should love the world, that the world should love him and claim him as its own, that the things of the world its pursuits, its pleasures, its sins; should harmonize with his nature, charm his tastes, delight his senses, and bind his affections in their spell. 

[Octavius Winslow]

Matthew 7:16-18 ... Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ❤

"Fruit"

This was a personal project for me today. I wanted to design a simple poster for our kitchen, with a great reminder of what the Bible says about the fruit of the spirit. My 8-year-old daughter helped me design this one and made sure all of the color's fruits were in a “good order” and that I spelled all the words right. We think it turned out well.

[Kevin Carden]

Buy prints at ChristianPhotoshops.Etsy.com

Galatians 5:22 ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ❤

Genuine Evidence

The genuine evidence of the Holy Spirit’s influence in a person’s life is not material prosperity, mindless emotionalism, or supposed miracles. Rather, it is sanctification: the believer’s growth in spiritual maturity, practical holiness, and Christlikeness through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit (as He applies biblical truth to the hearts of His saints). A true work of the Spirit convicts the heart of sin, combats worldly lusts, and cultivates spiritual fruit in the lives of God’s people. 

[John MacArthur]

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1 Corinthians 6:11 ... And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Titus 3:5 ...  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Galatians 5:22-23 ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ❤

The Fruit.

The fruit (evidence) in our lives that we are being led by and directed by Holy Spirit in accordance with God’s Word instead of our flesh: 

Love- Seeks the highest good of others 

Joy- Gladness that is not based on circumstances 

Peace- Contentment, unity between people 

Patience- Slow to speak and slow to anger 

Kindness- Merciful, sweet, and tender 

Goodness- Generous and open-hearted 

Faithfulness- Dependable, loyal, and full of trust 

Gentleness- Humble, calm, non-threatening Self-Control- behaving well

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

The Miracle of Divine Grace

Regeneration is that miracle of Divine grace wrought in the soul which enlists the affections Godward, which brings the human will into subjection to the Divine, and which produces a real and radical change in the life. That change is from worldliness to godliness; from disobedience to obedience.

At the new birth, the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and that love is manifested in a dominating longing and sincere purpose to please in all things, the One who has plucked me as a brand from the burning. There is a greater difference between the genuine Christian and the deceived professing Christian than there is between a living man and a corpse. None need remain in doubt, if they will honestly measure themselves by the Holy Word of God.

Ah, dear readers, the test is fruit! Not knowledge, not boastings, not orthodoxy, not joy but fruit; and such "fruit" as mere nature cannot produce. It is the fruit of the Vine namely, likeness to Christ, being conformed to His image. May the Holy Spirit search each one of us.

[A. W. Pink]

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Romans 5:5 ... And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Romans 6:22 ... But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

John 15:8 ... Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.❤

Lessons From a Lemon Tree

If you put a lemon tree on a hill, in a valley, city, countryside, or next to an apple tree, it still produces lemons. It’s our nature to focus on our circumstances, personal life, work life, or financial life, but Messiah doesn’t focus on those things. Your circumstance has little to do with the walk God called you to. Salvation is unconditional.

Messiah won’t ask you about your circumstances on the Day of Judgment. He came that you might bear fruit. If you abide in Him, you’ll bear fruit, and that’s God’s will for your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the mountain or in the valley, if people love you or hate you. You bear fruit not because of what’s around you, but because of what’s inside of you. This world, with all its circumstances – good and bad – can’t stop you from bearing fruit.

Learn from the lemon tree: bear your fruit no matter what, because He loves you. His love is unconditional, so your fruit should be unconditional. Fruit doesn’t come because of circumstance, it comes because of the tree.

[Jonathan Cahn]

Matthew 7:17 ... Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.


Colossians 1:10 ... That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;


James 3:17 ... But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ❤

The Best Apple Tree

Ask the gardener which is the best apple tree in the garden and he will tell you that it is not the one which has the best shape, but the one which yields the most fruit!

In the same way, he is not the best Christian who occupies the highest position, or who talks the most about divine things but it is he whose life is most fruitful in good works to the glory of God!

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

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John 15:8 ... Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Psalm 1:3 ... And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Matthew 13:23 ... But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.❤

Without Him ...

In a world full of God, how apt we are to forget Him! Living a life each moment of which is sustained by Him, how little we recognize His guardian care! Accomplishing in safety a long ocean voyage, we speak of the soundness of the ship, the completeness of the machinery, the efficiency of the crew, the skill of the captain, and we often lose sight of Him who gave the skill by which the ship was built and is propelled over the stormy, trackless deep.

We are "glad because we are quiet," but we often forget that it is He who "brings us to our desired haven." He rules the waves. He holds the winds in His fists. He rides upon the clouds. He directs the storm. He controls those forces of Nature by which in a moment we might be overwhelmed. We could never reach the haven unaided by God. "Without Him we can do nothing."

[Newman Hall]

Psalm 107:30 ... Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.


Psalm 89:9 ... Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.


John 15:5 ... I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.❤

Show Me

There are so many stony ground hearers, who receive the Word with joy, that I have determined to suspend my judgment till I know the tree by its fruits. I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought back; it will never do a sincere soul any harm.

[George Whitten]

Luke 6:43 ... For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Matthew 7:16 ... Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

John 15:4 ... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.❤

Two Great Promises

The Bible has always held out two great promises respecting Christ. First, He will come to us. Second, He will come into us.

For four thousand years the world looked forward to the fulfillment of the first promise. The other is the secret which Paul says hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. This is just as great a revelation of God as the incarnation of Jesus, for it makes us like Christ, as free from sin as He is.

If Christ is in us, what will be the consequences? Why, He will put us aside entirely. The I in us will go. We will say, “Not I, but Christ.” Christ undertakes our battles for us. Christ becomes purity and grace and strength in us.

We do not try to attain these things; we have obtained them in Jesus. This brings glorious rest with the Master. Jesus does not say, “Now we must bring forth fruit, we must pray much, we must do this or that.” There is no constraint about it, except that we must abide in Him.

That is the center of all joy and help.

[A. B. Simpson]

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John 14:23 ... Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Colossians 1:26-27 ... Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:❤

Fruit is The Thing

God will often increase the holiness of true Christians by His providential dealings with them. The meaning of this language is clear and plain. Just as the gardener prunes and cuts back the branches of a fruitful vine, in order to make them more fruitful so does God purify and sanctify believers by the circumstances of life in which He places them.

Trial, to speak plainly, is the instrument by which our heavenly Father makes Christians more holy. By trial, He calls out their passive graces, and proves whether they can suffer His will as well as do it. By trial, He weans them from the world, draws them to Christ, drives them to the Bible and prayer, shows them their own hearts, and makes them humble. This is the process by which He "prunes" them, and makes them more fruitful.

The lives of the saints in every age, are the best and truest commentary on the text. Never, hardly, do we find an eminent saint, either in the Old Testament or the New, who was not purified by suffering, and, like His Master, a "man of sorrows."

Let us learn to be patient in the days of darkness, if we know anything of vital union with Christ. Let us remember the doctrine of the passage before us, and not murmur and complain because of trials. Our trials are not meant to do us harm, but good.

Fruit is the thing that our Master desires to see in us and He will not spare the pruning knife if He sees that we need it!  In the last day, we shall see that all was well done.

[J. C. Ryle]

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John 15:2 ... Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Psalm 65:3 ... Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

Hebrews 12:10 ... For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.❤

The Palm Tree

The palm tree, to which God's people are in this psalm compared, is remarkable for its lengthened and increasing fruitfulness. The best fruit are said to be gathered when it has reached a hundred years. How beautiful an emblem of the aged believer, growing in grace and maturing in holiness to the close of his earthly existence! Each day, each year, added to his life, adds to the loveliness and perfection of his Christian virtues. His character has a mellowness and sweetness, which it lacked in earlier seasons. He is ripening for Heaven. In knowledge, in wisdom, in love, in humility, in gentleness, in patience, in peace, in usefulness, in happiness, he is steadily and constantly advancing. He is filled with the Spirit, and therefore brings forth the fruits of the Spirit.

Is this portraiture of an aged Christian yours, reader? Alas, it does not belong to all who profess and call themselves by the Savior's name. Nay, it may be feared that there are some, really and manifestly His, to whom it bears but little resemblance. They have long been "planted" in the house of the Lord but they do not appear to "flourish" in the courts of our God; and as years augment, they seem to imagine that the infirmities of old age are excuses for their little fruitfulness. But they certainly never gathered such an idea from God's Word, nor rightly studied and pleaded His promises to themselves.

Do not follow their example. Do not rest satisfied with past attainments. Strive to glorify God more than you have ever yet done. Let your last days be your best days; and your last fruit the richest.

[Author Unknown]

Psalm 92:12-14 ... The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;❤

Put On Christ

The clothes we wear are what people see. Only God can look on the heart. The outward signs are important. They reveal something of what is inside. If charity is there, it will become visible outwardly, but if you have no charitable feelings, you can still obey the command. Put it on as simply and consciously as you put on a coat. You choose it; you pick it up; you put it on. This is what you want to wear.

 

Do you want to dress like a Christian?  Put on Christ.  The act of honest obedience, the fruit of love for Christ is your part.  Making you Christlike through and through is His part. 

 

[Elisabeth Elliot]

 

 

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Ephesians 4:24 ... And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

 

 

Romans 13:14 ... But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

 

 

Galatians 3:27 ... For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

 

 

Colossians 3:10-14 ... And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.❤

Bloom Where You're Planted

An ancient legend tells of a king who walked into his garden one day to find almost everything withered and dying. After speaking to an oak near the gate, the king learned that he was troubled because he was not tall and beautiful like the pine.  The pine overheard their conversation and added that she, too, was upset, for she could not bear delicious fruit like the pear tree.  The pear tree heard his name and began to complain that he did not have the lovely odor of the spruce.  And so it went throughout the entire garden.
 

Near the very edge of the garden grew a little daisy. As the king approached, he noticed her bright little face, full of life.  "Well, little flower," said the monarch, "I'm glad to find that there is at least one happy face in my garden."   "Oh king," she said, "I know I'm little, and not many people notice me, but one day I realized that you if planted me here, you must have had a good reason.  So, your majesty, I've determined to be the best little flower I can be!"
 

Our King has planted a beautiful garden.  Not one of us is greater than the next. It is his His perfection.   We must come to a place where we trust that God has a reason for creating us the way He has and has planted us in just the place he desired. Comparing ourselves with one another will only make us wither.  When we become satisfied in His creation (that is us), that's when we'll find true happiness and we will shine.   Let's give God our all our disappointments and be determined to be the best that we can be for Him!

[George Whitten]

Isaiah 60:21 ... Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:3 ... To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

2 Corinthians 10:12 ... For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Romans 6:5 ... For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Romans 8:18 ... For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.❤

Genuine Conversion

It is only in proportion as the Christian manifests the fruit of a genuine conversion that he is entitled to regard himself and be regarded by others as one of the called and elect of God. It is just in proportion as we add to our faith the other Christian graces that we have solid ground on which to rest in the assurance we belong to the family of Christ.

[A.W. Pink]

Romans 8:14 ... For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Matthew 7:16-17 ... Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Matthew 18:3 ... And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.❤

The Fruits and The Effects He Produces

Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be deep conviction of sin and true repentance for it.  It is His special office to convince of sin.

He shows the exceeding holiness of God.

He teaches the exceeding corruption and infirmity of our nature.

He strips us of our blind self-righteousness.

He opens our eyes to our awful guilt, folly and danger.

He fills the heart with sorrow, contrition, and abhorrence for sin; as the abominable thing which God hates.

He who knows nothing of all this, and saunters carelessly through life, thoughtless about sin, and indifferent and unconcerned about his soul, is a
dead man before God! He has not the Holy Spirit.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a man's heart can only be known by the fruits and effects He produces. Mysterious and invisible to mortal eye as His operationsare, they always lead to certain visible and tangible results.

[J. C. Ryle]

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John 16:8 ... And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:


Luke 6:43-44 ...  For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

Matthew 7:18-20 ... A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.🕊

Supposing Him To Be The Gardener

I was sitting about a fortnight ago, in a very lovely garden, in the midst of all kinds of flowers which were blooming in delightful abundance all around. Screening myself from the heat of the sun under the overhanging boughs of an olive tree, I cast my eyes upon palms and bananas, roses and camellias, oranges and aloes, lavender and heliotrope.

 

The garden was full of color and beauty, perfume and fruitfulness. Surely the gardener, whoever he might be, who had framed, and fashioned, and kept in order that lovely spot, deserved great commendation. So I thought, and then it came to me to meditate upon the church of God as a garden, and to suppose the Lord Jesus to be the gardener, and then to think of what would most assuredly happen if it were so. "Supposing him to be the gardener," my mind conceived of a paradise where all sweet things flourish and all evil things are rooted up.

 

If an ordinary worker had produce such beauty as I then saw and enjoyed on earth, what bounty and glory must surely be brought forth "supposing him to be the gardener"! You know the "him" to whom we refer, the ever-blessed Son or God, whom Mary Magdalene in our text mistook for the gardener. We will for once follow a saint in her mistaken track; and yet we shall find ourselves going in a right way. She was mistaken when she fell into "supposing him to be the gardener"; but if we are under his Spirit’s teaching we shall not make a mistake if now we indulge ourselves in a quiet meditation upon our ever- blessed Lord, supposing him to be the gardener.

 

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

 

 

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John 20:15 ... Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

 

 

 

Isaiah 60:21 ... Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

 

John 15:2 ...  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.


Isaiah 27:2-3 ... In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. ❤

Is This Pleasing To God?

In every place, in every circumstance, in every undertaking, the Christian should ask, "Is this pleasing to God?"

God is pleased or displeased  with every thought we think,   with every word we speak,   with every action we perform,  with every emotion we feel.

Perhaps we do not sufficiently realize this. We think, speak, feel, and act without ever considering whether we are pleasing God, or not. But this ought not to be, for He   gave us our being,   redeemed us from sin and damnation, 
called us by His grace, and has blessed us with innumerable and interminable blessings, and all that we may glorify Him!

And how can we glorify Him but by habitually aiming to please Him? If we forget or lose sight of this, we forget and lose sight of the principal end of our being, and well-being.

[James Smith]

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1 Thessalonians 4:1 ...  Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

Colossians 1:10 ... That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

1 Corinthians 10:31 ... Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Hebrews 13:16 ... But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.❤

Clothed

Clothe us in love, joy, peace, beauty, and all that You are, Lord Jesus!

Galatians 3:26-27 ... For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23 ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Romans 13:13-14 ... Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.



1 Chronicles 16:29 ... Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Revelation 16:15 ... Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. ❤

Power of a Seed

Never underestimate the power of  a seed.

[Max Lucado]

Luke 17:6 … And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Matthew 13:23 … But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  

Galatians 6:8 ... For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

John 4:36 ... And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. ❤