Friday, October 2, 2015

Check out my fruit

So I was reading Matthew 7:15-23:
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
So Jesus says we can tell a tree by it's fruit. He also tells us that a person can prophesy, heal, and cast out demons in his name, and still never truly know Him!
I was seriously wrestling with this and wondering what in the world good fruit was then? If even the evidence of miracles is not necessarily good fruit, what is?
I asked myself, what is good fruit? Then the floodgates were opened and Galatians 5:22-23 came in and rushed over my fears and doubts: 
2 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Good fruit has to be the fruits of the Spirit. Another thought that clicked in my head was how the fruits of the Spirit do not allow room for pride, hypocrisy, or self-righteousness. And how easily could someone seek the performance of many miracles for one's own glory. We could easily do something in Jesus' name  but really be using his name in vain. When our 'fruits' bring the glory to ourselves… it's time to reevaluate. Good fruit is not something we do or accomplish, it's who we are becoming. 

Are we living by the Spirit and being transformed to look like Christ?

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