Fruit Bars...
"The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
"Good" fruit... That is what John says we are to produce. But it is not readily apparent to me what kind of fruit I am producing? Am I even producing any fruit? I'm really not sure and it seems egotistical to think that I could answer that question myself. I know that something inside me will oft endeavor to deceive me, making me proud of pious and religious acts in much the manner of the Pharisees of the New Testament.
One does not ask a tree whether its fruit is good. The tree does not know. But in looking at that tree, it is indeed possible to tell 1) whether it is producing any fruit and 2) whether that fruit is any good.
So perhaps then, to answer this question for ourselves we must step back and ask, what does good fruit look like? Galatians tells us that good fruit should look like "love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control".
Ah-ha! Herein we can begin to identify the existence (or lack thereof) of these traits in our lives. Am I loving? Am I filled with joy and peace? Am I gentle with my loved ones? Am I growing in these things? Not with pious religiosity, checking the various fruit checkboxes, but an honest and objective self-assessment.
These are the bars by which our fruit can be measured... Our fruit bars. :-)
Created about 1 year ago
