Daily Devotional

My friend Katie was excited about her new job working with a Christian Home Care for Seniors ministry in the Chicago area. As she started to settle into her new position, she found out that her co-workers didn’t share her excitement. They didn’t like their job, and they didn’t like their boss, so they didn’t work hard. Plus the Executive Director was not a good leader. He was rarely in the office, he was inaccessible to his staff, and he was always on vacation. Katie came in excited about the overall vision of loving Seniors with the love of Christ, and her enthusiasm caused her to quickly work her way up the ladder, much to the chagrin of her coworkers, until she was second in command to the Executive Director. And after a while, she realized she was doing his job, without actually having the title. Katie thought her enthusiasm would be contagious, and her co-workers would grow in excitement. But that didn’t happen. And the ministry continued to dwindle, as seniors realized that they couldn’t count on this Home Care ministry to come through for them when they needed them. So the ministry folded. Why? Because there was no fruit.

In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Often when we think of the word ‘fruit’ in the Bible, we think of results. But the word ‘results’ is not really a biblical concept. A machine can produce results, but it takes a living organism to bear fruit. It takes time and cultivation to bear fruit. And as Christians we are called to bear fruit. We are called branches. And the branches don’t eat the fruit, other people do. We are called to ‘feed’ others through our words and works.

What is biblical fruit? Being used by God to bring people to Christ (Romans 1:13). Being involved in the harvest (John 4:35–38). Becoming more like Christ in our obedience (Romans 6:22). And certainly the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). As we bear fruit for God, we glorify God, and people see Christ in us.

Are you being fruitful for God? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life? Are you using the spiritual gift God gave you at conversion to build up the body of Christ? Your fruit doesn’t have to be awe-inspiring, it just needs to come through the Holy Spirit working in you. And as you rely on the Holy Spirit, abiding in the vine which is Christ, you will be fruitful for Him.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation