Have you ever been to an orchard, or perhaps grown fruit trees of some kind? If so, you have seen plump, ripe, colorful fruit almost weighing down the branches of the tree it is growing on. It is not only appealing to the eye, but also so sweet to taste. When we go picking fruit, we look long and hard to get the most mature fruit without blemishes of any kind.

Occasionally, we come upon a tree that has no fruit on it. Growing in with the rest it looks like the other trees except that it is missing something that separates it from all others. The thing that makes it special and valuable is not there, and that is the fruit.

Often times we, as Spirit-filled believers, go looking for something in our spiritual walk. We find ourselves lean and hungry for the things of God and begin to search it out. Sometimes we find what we are looking for but many times we do not. Why? It is because we are looking for the wrong thing. It is like going to an apple orchard and searching the ground for watermelons. We can look all we want, but they will not be there. Most likely, we would miss the apples on the tree because we were looking down instead of up.

Applying that spiritually, we have a habit of looking for the gifts of the Spirit in people’s lives instead of first looking for the fruit. Read Galatians 5:22-26 when you get a chance. When we find the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,) the gifts of the Spirit will be present and operating decently and in order. One of the reasons that we see religious excess in the church is because we have been focusing on the wrong things. We want a display of God’s POWER but do not require a display of PURITY in our own lives.

The Word of God says that they will know we are His because we bear much fruit. Not they will know us by our gifts, but instead by our fruit. So the question is, what is growing on us? Are we barren and fruitless, or are we allowing the Vinedresser to prune us so that we can bear more fruit all the time? If we are bearing fruit it will be evident to all who come in contact with us. We won’t have to advertise it, or publicize it because it will be eye-catching, and nourishing to those who come close to us.

God gives us spiritual gifts, and we are so thankful for them. We do not earn them or deserve them. They are gifts to be used for His glory. Likewise He chooses to grow spiritual fruit on us if we will allow Him to cut and prune. It takes surrender on our part. It takes discipline. It also takes time.

Do not be one of those barren trees that tries to blend in with the fruitful ones. You can look like the others; you can hold your branches like the others. You can imitate them in every way but in the end the tree that bears no fruit is going to be plucked up and burned. Take a look at yourself today. What is growing on you? Do you need a good pruning or perhaps some "miracle-grow?" If so, you know where to get it. He will not withhold any good thing from you. All you have to do is ask. He is an expert Gardner Who lovingly cares for us. Let us allow Him to care for us today. May we find the fruit of the Spirit evident in our lives, and may we experience a season of growth and maturity like nothing we have experienced before!

Prayer:

Father, You are so good to us. Not only did You send Your Son to be the payment for our sin, You left with us spiritual gifts for which we are truly thankful. You also gave instruction to us in Your Word concerning the fruit of the Spirit and the necessity of having it in our lives. Your Word says that we will bear much fruit if we allow ourselves to be pruned. It is by fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness that people will know we are Your disciples. It is our greatest spiritual asset and our most powerful testimony.

Some of us are in need of being pruned today. We have dead and dry limbs that can’t bear or even hold fruit. Cut away the deadness Father so that we can experience new growth. Feed us so that we can grow and be fruitful. We submit to You even now knowing that You are a skilled Vinedresser. We want to only grow the best, Father. Tend to us so that we may to so.

We ask it in Jesus’ Name!

Amen! Amen!