GOOD FRUITS

Even so, every good tree bears GOOD FRUIT; but a bad tree bears bad fruit … – Matthew 7:17 (NKJV)

God is a Great Giver – the Giver of Good Gifts and Good Fruits (v.11, 17). Gifts and fruits are like two sides of a coin. They are complementary, and one is not superior to the other. The Bible speaks of the Gifts of the Spirit as well as the Fruit of the Spirit. Essentially, gifts equip; while fruits distinguish: “Wherefore You shall know them by their fruits…” (v.20). Today, we meditate on fruits – good fruits; tomorrow on gifts. The theme of fruitfulness recurs all through the book of Genesis (Gen.9:1, 7; 17:20; 28:3; 35:11; 48:4a). The Bible also ends on the note of fruitfulness: “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Good Fruits are eternal!

With reference to plant life, fruit is the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant, the reproductive body of a seed plant. Therefore, to be fruitful means to be productive with whatever God has given you. Fruit infers the existence of Seed. Fruitfulness is the potential destiny of every seed. A seed that does not result in fruit is a wasted potential. Every Fruit is a product of a Seed (Gen.1:11). The nature of the seed determines that of the fruit. Seeds are in the fruit and more fruits come from the seed! The human desire for fruitfulness derives from God’s command to us at creation: “Be fruitful…” (Gen.1:28a).

Beyond biological reproduction, fruitfulness implies being productive in every sense: to have outstanding results in life’s assignments, career or ministry. Fruitfulness is usually visible and tangible distinguishing factor in life. Fruitfulness means being a vessel of honour rather than dishonour. Fruitfulness has both divine and human dimensions: God says, “I will make him fruitful and multiply him…” He also commands, “Be fruitful and multiply…” God’s Word empowers us to fulfil His Mandate of fruitfulness! Sowing flesh-exalting seeds will produce fruits of corruption; sowing to the spirit will bring life-enhancing, eternally-impactful fruits.

The Bible mentions a wide array of good fruits, namely: the Fruit of the Spirit – “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” (Gal.5:22-23); Fruits of souls, and disciples (Rom.1:13); Fruits of righteousness and holiness (Rom.6:22; Heb.12:11; Jam.3:18); Fruits of financial blessings (Phil.4:17); and Fruits of Wisdom: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and GOOD FRUITS, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (Jam.3:17). The seeds you sow in the forms of thoughts, imagination, beliefs, values, words, decisions, actions, and behaviour produce fruits after their kind. The seeds you sow today determine the kind of fruit you’ll reap tomorrow.