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Your heart has the potential of producing an abundance of fruit.
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9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
If you think about the nature of fruit, it’s always a result. Fruit is the tasty blessing which comes from the process of seeds taking root, maturing underground, sprouting upward, developing blossoms and then producing fruit. The yield of a harvest is directly dependent on everything that happens before the fruit emerges. Every seed thrown by the farmer has potential to yield an abundance of fruit, yet in Jesus’ parable, only one type of soil is successful. Only the good soil allows seeds to penetrate and as a result yields fruit. All others fail to meet a fruitful end.
In Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit is named love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These characteristics are the fruitful end Jesus is talking about. They are the natural outflow and byproduct of receiving God’s word and allowing God’s Spirit to change us from within. If you were to access the fruit from your life, would others say your life is yielding an abundance of peace? patience? self-control?
Perhaps you’re feeling frustrated – discouraged because of your present circumstances, or you’re feeling discontent – unsatisfied because those characteristics definitely do not describe your life right now. If that’s the case, checking the soil of your heart is the first step. When your heart is disinterested, distressed, or distracted, the word of God cannot penetrate into your heart and the potential for fruit is slim-to-none. But, if you’re willing to listen and seek what God says as ultimately true, your heart has the potential of producing an abundance of fruit. Today, think about someone you know whose life is ripe with the fruit of the Spirit. Give them a call or write them a note to tell them about the fruit you see their life producing.
Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you,
unless you abide in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.
– John 15:4-5
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By Yvonne Biel
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