Some years ago I was deep into gardening, as I used to help my mother with the plants around the house. We had just moved into our own home and she wanted the property to be lined with all her favourite plants. The ones I was most interested in were the fruit trees because there is so much joy in being able to not only look at and enjoy the fruit of your labour, but to taste it too.
The gardening process is a challenging one I might add. There is the need to be constantly watering (but we all know the rain does a better job), uprooting weeds, trimming and caring for the plant as it transitions from a tiny stalk to a thriving shrub. But there is one aspect that came to mind while I was reading Romans 1:19-23.
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Romans 1:19-23 (NKJV)
This verse talks about knowing God’s power and divine nature by the things He created and the things we see. It practically says we have no excuse to not know and thank God, because He is everywhere and evidenced in everything. In other words, we know God by His FRUIT. That got me thinking. All these things that we see around us are but a reflection of what we cannot see, which is His character and mind.
Looking back at an all too familiar verse in 2 Corinthians 5 I thought, surely our fruits should reflect and resemble those of Christ. The verse right before that says we have the mind of Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
Where am I going with this? Well, many times we think we are in just the right place, doing everything we are supposed to in order to increase spiritual growth, serve and develop the body of Christ and serve the people around us. We are producing fruit that reflects our nature, our new man. Most of us are familiar with the fruit of the Spirit that Paul outlined in Galatians 5:22-26 and so we have an idea of what we are working towards and what we should expect to see being cultivated and demonstrated in our lives. But when we really examine our lives what is it that we see? Are we bearing fruit at all? And if we are, is our fruit pleasing to God? Does it reflect the nature of Christ? Let’s go back to the gardening episode. The fruit trees in my back yard started producing fruit and of course, it was according to their nature. But I couldn’t help but notice that sometimes the fruit wasn’t the right shape or it died before reaching full maturity or had questionable taste and scars on the skin. My mom and I later found out that the plant was being affected by something we could not see. The fruit that was produced was consistent with the type of tree it was, but the quality was affected. The quality of the plant affects the quality of the fruit and so, of course, the tree had to be treated. We had to make sure that it reached full potential not just for the sake of the fruit but also for the sake of the whole plant.
So it is with us sometimes. We could be doing all the right things and even producing fruit but our fruit can be affected by the things we cannot see namely, our thoughts, attitudes and the seemingly simple ways and bad habits that we overlook on a daily basis. The Bible says that we must “… love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NKJV).
Loving God with all these things means that each aspect of our lives must please Him and not anger Him. Each aspect must be a reflection of our appreciation for Him and all He has done for us starting with the invaluable opportunity to live under grace. God is not just interested in the things about us that everyone sees and celebrates but He is especially concerned about those hidden and secret parts of our lives that no one sees – sometimes not even us.
Just as the trees in my backyard had to be treated and restored to improve the quality of their fruit, in the same way our Heavenly Father the Gardener desires to prune us and shape us, treat us and restore us so that we would be branches connected to the True Vine and bearing good fruit for the benefit of all, for by our fruit they shall know us.
Even as the quality of the tree determines the quality of the fruit, the quality of our lives and our relationship with Christ will determine the quality of fruit that we bear. Jesus said it Himself in Matthew 7
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. (Matthew 7: 17-18 NKJV)
Therefore, we must regularly examine ourselves and ask God to show up the blind spots in our lives that allow sin to cultivate and invite God’s displeasure. At the end of it all let it be that God was pleased by the quality (and not just quantity) of fruit we’ve produced throughout our lives.
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