Key scripture – “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24, ESV).

Pastor James McDonald tells us that in God’s economy, “fruit” is the evidence of a life changed by Jesus Christ. And when it comes to bearing fruit, bearing “much fruit,” the Bible clearly reveals what kind of fruit our lives as believers should be sprouting, blooming, and growing, which is

The fruit of . . .

People won to Christ. Paul said to the church in Rome, “I have often intended to come to you . . . in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles” (Romans 1:13). He knew if he could ever reach their city, people would come to Christ through his life and witness, because he was accustomed to seeing “harvest” from the amount of seeds he planted. So, what about us? You? Me? How many people in the world today are following Christ because you are following Christ? That’s proven fruit of a believer.

Holy living. “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Romans 6:22). Are you steadily becoming more like Jesus and less like the world? You’re not perfect, of course, none of us are, and none of us will be until we reach the goal of “eternal life.” But you should be seeing a growing pattern of surrender and obedience; a curve in the direction of holy living. You should be committing more of your way to The Lord and trusting Him.

Good deeds. Among the goals of following Christ is “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10). Acts of kindness, acts of forgiveness, acts of service performed for the sake of Christ and for the benefit of others. How often, and how much more naturally, are you initiating these types of actions?

Character. Being attached to the Vine and being fed by His Word have the spiritual effect of producing “the fruit of the Spirit,” which includes “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Can you point to evidence that these character qualities are becoming more consistently descriptive of you?

Praise to God. Scripture exhorts us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15). Perhaps you recall a time when worship felt awkward, when it didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. But has knowing Him increased your desire and delight in worship, both personally as well as with other believers?

If you look at your life and you admit your faith in Christ isn’t exactly resulting in fruit of this shape and size, the good news is that it can. Today, if you will get on your knees before God and tell Him that you want to die to the life that you are currently living that’s just focused on yourself, and instead live a life that is fully committed to Him, you’ll start to see the blossoming evidence of God’s transforming work in you. Go ahead and do it, you will love how sweet and precious God’s fruit is in your life.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for enabling me to produce fruit that glorifies You. I know that I cannot create fruit by my own power, but as I surrender to and obey You, You will cause me to flourish in all these areas. I know that if I commit my ways to You and trust in You, You will make my righteous reward shin like the dawn my vindication like the noon day sun. I want my life to always be in right standing with You. I want to be filled with the Peaceful fruit of Righteousness. I know that in order to do that I need to live a lifestyle and have an attitude that seeks conformity to Your will and Your purpose. Please help me to desire You above everything else in my life that doesn’t result in developing my character, serving others, and making disciples. For the rest of my life make me a fruit-bearer for Your Kingdom and Your Kingdom only. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.