Righteous or Rotten: What kind of spiritual fruit are you producing, sis?
By Regina Harris // Spiritual Wisdom // EEW Magazine Online
Fruit of the Spirit Illustration (Credit: EEW Magazine Online)
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
Imagine if I were a tree that produced exclusively oranges and went about telling everyone that I was an apple tree. No one would believe me, right? And why not? Well, the answer is obvious: the type of tree is determined by the fruit it produces.
If you are uncaring, envious, prideful and self-serving, these are not spiritual attributes. Their consistent presence in your life indicates that your spiritual tree is unhealthy. How do we know this? Scripture plainly states, "If you grow a healthy tree, you'll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you'll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree” (Matthew 12:33 MSG).
Fruit of the Spirit Illustration (Credit: EEW Magazine Online)
What is your fruit telling you?
Now it’s time to get honest with yourself because God already knows the truth anyway. What exactly is your fruit telling you about your spiritual health? Are you displaying the nine attributes of godly living that the Apostle Paul shares in the New Testament book of Galatians 5:22-23?
Around A.D. 47, Paul wrote a letter to one of the early Christian congregations in the province of Galatia out of deep concern for their faith. At the time, Jewish teachers insisted that non-Jewish believers must follow Jewish laws to obtain salvation. This erroneous teaching contradicted the true gospel which teaches that salvation is a free gift to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Salvation comes through faith, not works. Yet, once salvation is obtained, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of true believers, equipping and empowering them to produce righteous fruit. If the Holy Spirit is controlling you, you and others will be able to tell.
What if your fruit is rotten?
What if your harvest of fruit is inconsistent with righteousness and is instead the kind of rotten fruit that Galatians 5:19-21 mentions: impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like”?
If the production of some or all of the attributes of rotten fruit seems all too common in your life, there is hope for you yet. God is able to cleanse your heart and put you on the right track if you are willing to follow the instructions of Hosea 9:12: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you” (NLT).
In need of a fruit swap?
If you’re sick of the consequences of indulging your sinful fleshly desires and feel ready to exchange your rotten fruit for righteous fruit, you can do it today. God specializes in fruit swapping if you willingly confess your sins, ask forgiveness, submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, seek God’s Word, and trust Him for understanding.
The truth is that we all have (and will again at some point) produce rotten fruit. It is part of the human experience and underscores why we are in desperate need of grace. However, as you mature in your faith by meditating on and following God’s precepts and principles and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart, you will see the growth of less rotten fruit and more righteous fruit.
Fruit swapping is possible, as righteous fruit is always available. Ready to easily condition yourself to reap the benefits of spiritual fruit swapping every day? Here’s how: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV).
The more you meditate on what is right, the more you emulate what is right.
A Fruit-Bearing Prayer for You: God, thank You for empowering me to produce righteous fruit as I stay committed and submitted to Your will. Please help me to seek Your Word daily so that righteous seeds will be planted in my heart and produce the kind of fruit that honors You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
