Four Biblical Ways to Understand Fruitfulness
What kind of fruit have you produced consistently?
“You can identify them by their fruit…” (Matthew 7:16, NLT)
Understanding the “fruit” God is bearing in and through you is a wonderful part of your fit and flourish discernment process. Let’s look at “fruit” from several different Biblical perspectives…
1. The fruit of actions in the form of our conduct, living a righteous life.
“Therefore produce fruit that proves repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)
“For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth…” (Galatians 5:9)
If our walk doesn’t match our talk, we lose credibility. God can plant the seeds of His character, holy love, in our inward lives and then live His life through us so the outward fruit people see is the sweet, nourishing lifestyle that honors Jesus in all we do.
2. The fruit of attitudes in the form of our character, the fruit of the Spirit.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:21-25, NIV)
If a righteous lifestyle that honors the Lord is the visible fruit people can see, the roots from which that fruit is nourished is the fruit of the Spirit. Christlike roots below, Christlike fruit above. My life verse is Isaiah 37:31: “Take root below, bear fruit above…” Love from a pure heart fuels a lifestyle evidenced by love’s fruit in all its flavors.
3. The fruit of additions to the Kingdom in the form of conversions, growing God’s family.
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day…and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
(Acts 2:42, 47, NIV)
Jesus’ great “Go-mission” of Matthew 28:18-20 authorizes us in our daily lives by saying “as you are going, make disciples”…. Every one of us has a part in making disciples, adding to the family of God and expanding our Father King’s rule and reign in hearts, families, neighborhoods, communities, regions and nations.
4. There is the fruit of our activities, in the form of our competence, the skills we are good at. Throughout Scripture, we see men and women being described in terms of the skills where they excelled. Names like Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus and Huram in I Kings 7:14 are not familiar names, but they are honored for their skills. Their competence brought forth the fruit of productive results in many beautiful ways. This is an oft-forgotten aspect of fruitfulness…we need to pay attention to what your fruit looks like in terms of ongoing skills and competence. It helps us answer the “how do you do that?” question as we help others discern their fit and flourish. We fit and flourish when we get to use do what we are good at for God’s glory.
Actions…attitudes…additions…activities.
Conduct…character…conversions…competence.
All these are ways that you need to consider what “fruit” looks like in your life.
A great question to help you identify what kind of fruit you consistently produce is this: “What do others often say about who you are and what you do that God uses consistently to influence people for Him?”
Coach Yourself Forward
1. Review the four kinds of fruit we looked at Biblically. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? Who do you need? In what ways is the Lord at work in these areas?
a. My conduct
b. My character
c. Helping others convert to Christ
d. My competency and skills
2. Reflect on and answer the question we highlighted: “What do people often say about who you are (your character) and what you do (your skills and gifts) that God uses consistently to influence people for Him?” Ask your spouse and/or other significant people in your life to answer that question for you. Listen closely to what they have to say. They will have insights that will bring more clarity and blessing for you! Now, summarize all those thoughts and write them down.
Photo by Chad Stembridge on Unsplash