A characteristic of one who follows Jesus is to bear fruit.

Jesus was a master at using word pictures.  One of his most famous is found in John 15 as he describes the unique relationship we have with him and the Father, as that of a grape vine.  The point of the illustration is found in verse 5 where Jesus says, “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NLT) 

What does it mean to produce fruit?  It may come as a shock to some, but being fruitful as a follower of Jesus Christ is far greater than telling others about Jesus.  There are actually three key aspects that make up the concept of bearing fruit.  These components involve spiritual character development, making other disciples, righteousness and good works and.  We will provide a brief summary of each aspect below and then develop them more in future columns.

Spiritual Character Development (Galatians 5:22-23)

In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul lists 9 qualities that make up the “Fruit of the Spirit.”  They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These characteristics provide the standard by which one can measure personal spiritual development. 

Making Other Disciples (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus’ command to his disciples was to “make disciples.”  This does not mean the follower of Jesus is better than another person.  It simply means that once one has discovered the relief of divine forgiveness; the peace of the presence of God in their life and the power of God’s transforming love, they will want others to join them on the journey. 

Righteousness and Good Works (Philippians 1:11; Colossians 1:10)

These characteristics complete the circle and bring us back to what it means to abide in Christ.  It means that we are living our lives in such a way that we are seeing growth and spiritual maturity as we actively strive to serve others as Christ served us.

Following Jesus is not the result of a 10 week class, or working through a study guide.  Those things are helpful tools.  But following Jesus is actually a journey that lasts of life time as we let God write his story into our lives.

As God writes his story into my life I will find that he is helping me to be spiritually productive.

Today’s Tip: Think of one way that knowing Jesus has matured you in the past year.

Share what God has done and is doing with a spiritual travelling companion.  Ask them to share one way they have grown in the past year.