The Fruit that Keeps on (Thanks)Giving

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“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain...” (John 15:16a, NKJV).

God has, is and will always be. His choosing has no beginning or end, and it is not based on our ability or worth – hallelujah! The almighty, all-knowing creator chose me...and He chose you, too! For context of the verse above, Jesus is with his 12 disciples, washing their feet and celebrating the Passover, hours before being arrested to be crucified and abandoned by each one of them. Can you picture the scene or imagine His thoughts? What a perfect example of unconditional love. He takes the last of His time in prayer, communion and conversation, ministering to their needs and giving them instruction. He also explains the purpose behind choosing the disciples. It is the same reason we are chosen and appointed. We are commanded to go and bear fruit – His fruit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We cannot bear fruit on our own, and it is not be kept to ourselves - it is to be shared.

In John 15:5, Jesus states, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” The fruits of the Holy Spirit are a result of God’s very presence, living in us. (Have you invited Him to live in you? Revelation 3:20) This is why our fruit can be taken everywhere we go. When we spend time with God (i.e. in His word, prayer or worship), we are spiritually fed, pruned and tilled to bear more fruit. While no two of us respond the same way to the gospel, His calling remains constant for everyone: God loved us so much, He sent his one and only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him, would not perish, but have eternal life. His kindness, one of the fruits of the spirit, is what attracted us to Himself and for us to turn away from our sin. Words can profess what we believe on the inside, but spiritual fruit is evidence we are His on the outside.  
  
Where is God calling you to go and bear fruit for the sake of the gospel?




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