“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 NIV
Have you ever received one of those flower-arrangement style fruit baskets? If you like fruit they are really cool! Already peeled, cut and arranged for easy snacking. Sweet and juicy! Colorful and appealing. Yum! I don’t know about you, but cutting a pineapple or melon sometimes delays my desire to enjoy those lovely, luscious gifts. The outside puts me off, but the inside is worth it. I am grateful when someone else does the hard work for me, aren’t you?
I’ll bet you have heard it said that, “Fruit is natures candy”, right? God has made our palates to be drawn to sweet tastes. Eating something sweet, natural or otherwise, seems to lift us up. Do you ever crave chocolate or cookies or ice cream on a hard day? It’s possible that the food isn’t really what you are looking for. We often look for sweet tastes to make us feel better. Do you have a favorite sweet taste? I love things that are cinnamon-y. And my favorite sweet combination: peanut butter and chocolate. Mmmmm.
So, here’s an odd question. Would someone describe you as one of their favorite sweet tastes? What kind of taste do you bring to others in your day-to-day contact? Sweet? Bitter? Bland? Vibrant? What kind of fruit is coming from your life? That fruit is what the grocery clerk, your boss or your best friend taste on daily basis. Is the taste bitter? What can you do about it?
One thing you can do is to ask yourself if you are living for what really matters. Understanding what really matters produces fruit in our lives - fruit that demonstrates our love for Christ. God wants to make your life and mine a sweet taste to the people in our sphere of influence. The kind of sweet taste that lifts them up on a bad day. Do you want to produce that kind of fruit?
Here are a few things to aim for.
A God-focused life. Is your life God-focused or self-focused? When you choose to focus on God first it brings everything else into focus and helps you to live for what really matters. A God-focused life is a life that brings the sweetness of God’s love and presence to everyone you come in contact with whether you are aware of it or not. Somehow, people get a little taste of Jesus. So, ask yourself if your life is God-focused. It could be that all you need is a bit of re-focusing.
Character that gives evidence to Jesus’ work in your life. Fruit is evidenced in the way that I respond to life in general and to specific events. Am I a peaceful person or worried about what next week may bring? Do I respond with gentle graciousness or rough restlessness? Do my words bring healing or hurt? I might be more self-reflective than you. I want to encourage you that the time you take to ask yourself those kinds of questions will be worth it. Self-reflective questions help to cultivate the character of Christ in you.
The fruit of God’s presence in my life will be a a character that reflects the character of Christ (Think Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus is pure and blameless. Jesus is full of righteousness. If I am allowing Jesus to live in me, then I will look like Jesus in the way that I treat others. It’s a challenge that the Holy Spirit makes possible. I pray that He is doing it in me!
A life that reveals and reflects God’s glory in an ever-increasing measure. I have heard it said that God’s will for your life is anything that brings Him glory. That is broad enough to encompass so much of life, but specific enough to limit a whole bunch of words and actions.
I am not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but I want the fruit of my life to point to Jesus and to reflect His character. I want the fruit of my life to be appealing to others, and pleasing to God. I don’t want my outside behavior to prevent people from tasting the sweetness of Jesus that is inside me because He is inside me. I want to produce fruit that lasts, that has eternal significance. I want to fulfill His will for my life and bring Him glory.
So, my friend, what about you? Are you living a God-focused life that brings the sweet taste of Jesus to others? Are you growing in your ability to reflect God’s glory in the way you respond to life? I know the global pandemic is a challenge, but if you can learn to live a God-focused life now, to live a pure and blameless life that reflects God’s glory in the middle of one of history’s most difficult stories, you will carry that with you into the future. You will live a life full of fruit. Working through the toughness on the outside may be difficult right now, and no one else can do that hard work for you like the aforementioned fruit gift, but the inside fruit of righteousness that gives people a taste of Jesus will be so worth it. Wouldn't it be great to be someone’s favorite sweet taste?
Key thought: The fruit of God’s work in your life is Christ-like character.
A Scripture to consider: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 NIV
A YES challenge: Ask yourself some self-reflective questions. If you are having trouble discerning what kind of taste you are leaving with others, ask a trusted friend or family member to give you some feedback. Ask God to help you refocus and let Him grow His sweet fruit in you.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I want my life to be focused on what really matters. I want to focus my life on the things that matter to You. I know that when I do that, You will produce Your fruit in me. I want my life to give others a taste of Jesus. I can’t do it on my own. I need You to make that change in me. Amen.