We Are God's Fruit Bearing Trees

In my last post I referred to a couple Bible verses that compare fruit bearing trees to God's reborn people in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. So we read in the very first Psalm that the man who meditates upon God's Holy Word continues to yield fruit in its season. I'd like to explore what it means for a Christian to yield fruit and to yield it "in its season." The stream, of course, is the Holy Spirit who continues to nourish and refresh through God's Word (Torah or instruction).

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. - Psa 1:3 ESV 

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul picks up the analogy as he speaks often about fruit and fruit bearing. 

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. . . . But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. - Rom 7:4, 6 ESV 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. - Gal 5:23-25 ESV 

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so 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. - Phil 1:9-11 ESV

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. - Col 1:9-10 ESV 

Paul teaches us several important lessons in these passages about fruit. 

1. When Jesus died upon the cross of Calvary, we died with him. In turn, when he rose from the dead on the eighth day, we rose with him. So that we may now correctly say, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). 
2. Further, the Holy Spirit teaches us in that Word He has given to us that we are free. We have been freed from the law that previously condemned and enslaved us. That freedom became ours when we died and rose again with Christ. Because of Christ we are now, in God's eyes, completely without sin. So Paul writes, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). 
3. Released from the slavery of sin, the passions and drives of our sinful flesh, we are free to be fruit-bearing trees for God. This is a radically new way of living, sharply contrasted with the way of the flesh or the ways of this world of sinful men. Raised from the dead with Christ we have the life of Christ, the water of God, the Holy Spirit, ever bubbling up and flowing in our lives. 
4. In this new life, we delight to serve God. It is a joy and a pleasure. We are motivated, not by fear and anxiety, but rather by the love of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. No longer do we run from God to hide in hope that we will not be found out. Rather we run to God to ask, "How may I serve you, my Father?" So we are prepared to bear fruit, or to use Paul's other analogy, to walk by the Spirit. 
5. The power to bear fruit comes, of course, from the Spirit. As a tree withers and dies without water, so we die without the water of the Spirit. And that life-giving water flows in and from God's Word. The more we meditate upon God's Spirit-filled Word, the more we learn about God's love for us and His wondrous plan for our lives. Paul calls this knowledge of God's will spiritual wisdom, discernment and understanding. 
6. Such knowledge is never mere information and facts to be recited in order to pass some kind of examination or to impress people. It is so much more than that. Above all it is personal knowledge. Because of such knowledge I can now say, "Christ died for ME! I died and I rose with him! Christ lives within ME! I am a CHILD of the Heavenly Father. I know Him and He knows me. Now I can crawl right up on my Papa's lap to be held in His loving arms and ask whatever I want. He listens and always gives me what is best for me" (Luke 11:8-13; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). 
7. As this personal Spirit-given knowledge of my Papa's love for me grows within, so does my love for Him grow. And along with my growing love for Papa comes joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. As I learn to love Papa, I learn also to love those around me, all of whom He loves so very much. I become a fruit-bearing tree, bearing the fruit of a godly or God-like life. 

In blogs in July of this year I wrote about the special gifts given by the life-giving Spirit, the so-called charismatic or spiritual gifts. For now, let us simply rejoice in the life of the Holy Spirit, God's refreshing stream, so that we may all bear fruit in every good work and increase in our personal knowledge of God's love. 

The Potent Power of Prayer

Today I continue with a careful look at reconciliation and the guidelines given to us by James, the Apostle and brother of our Lord Jesus. I want us to consider v. 16 of his instructions:

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:13-16).

 Therefore, confess your sins to one another . . . 


The therefore suggests that this final verse can happen only after the penitent believer has been raised up and forgiven. Note carefully that the power to confess your sins to one another does not come from the sinful human heart. And it does require an inner spiritual strength the believer does not have in and of himself. This strength comes from the Holy Spirit at work in his/her heart, convincing him/her daily of forgiveness and the endless love of the Lord Jesus. Christ is the One who raises us sinners up. Christ is the One who forgives and renews our lives.

Now, empowered by the living Christ the believer sets out to complete his work. Note also to one another.

In my work as a marriage and family counselor I know from much experience that healing of the marital relationship cannot and does not happen until both partners are prepared to confess their sins to one another. And I also know that unless each makes it clear that he or she is willing to forgive, the other one will not have the strength and the courage to make such a confession. But when mutual confessing begins, then healing also begins.

This is true in a congregation when members are in conflict with one another. All involved must first be prepared to come humbly and penitently before Christ's throne of grace, receive forgiveness and rise to acknowledge that we are beggars before God. As in the hymn, "Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to the cross I cling."

Once we are prepared to confess our sins to one another and to forgive one another, new doors open. Suddenly we begin to work together to deal with the real issues and problems that divided us. I say suddenly because this seems so obvious when we look back, but our vision was clouded and blocked until we accepted one another as forgiven brothers and sisters in Christ. Once we do that we begin to see that there are indeed some answers, some solutions, some mutually agreeable ways to move forward. Marriage partners begin to have some real and frank discussions about sex, money, in-laws, the raising of their children or whatever it was that brought them into conflict. Congregation members find new ways to approach worship or confirmation practices or disagreements about the parking lot or a hundred other issues that bring on conflict.

and pray for one another, that you may be healed. . . 


Need I say it again? Healing is a gift. It comes from Jesus, the Great Physician and Healer. In the power of His Spirit, we are able to move out of our self-centeredness and begin to pray for Him to bless and rescue and guide one another. And He does. Our eyes are opened by Him. We see what should have been so obvious all the time. We hear and understand the words spoken. Now they make sense. And in our hearts we finally understand what those others were saying and doing. It all begins to come together. We become one in Christ. This is healing indeed. His power is at work in us and among us.

The prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working. 


There is energy in such prayer, the energy and power of Jesus. It is great energy. It renews, restores, and raises us up. When a pastor confesses before his congregation that he too is a sinner and when those in conflict with him accept his forgiveness and forgive him, even as they too are forgiven—when that happens, something new, strange and wonderful begins to happen in that congregation. The true life and power and energy of Jesus, the Living Word, begins to spread among them. The same is true in families and marriages.

My prayer is that all of us who read James' instructions and guidance see it for what it is, the very Word of God. And I pray that we take it to heart and make it a part of our daily lives, in our marriages, our families and our congregations.

James concludes this section of his teaching by reminding us of Elijah who prayed that his people might be led to confess their sins. They had to endure the pain and loss of  three and a half years of drought and then rain.  This led to Elijah's confrontation with King Ahab's prophets of Baal and ultimately to a radical renewal of faith in the land. Not only did the earth bear fruit. The Word of God began to nurture and bear new fruit in the hearts of believers. This too is my prayer, that new fruit may be born in the hearts of us all (Luke 8:8).