“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:8
What God expects of us, as believers, boils down to two words—bear fruit. In the life of a Christian, fruit is how we outwardly express what God is doing inwardly. The more we grow in Christ, the more we manifest His character, both inwardly and outwardly. And the more fruit we bear, the more God is glorified. So, how do we measure how much fruit we’re bearing?
First, godly fruit shows up in our overall attitude. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.” These qualities have nothing to do with our individual personalities. Rather, they grow naturally as we nurture the life of Christ within us by yielding to the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit indwells every believer at the moment of salvation, we choose whether or not we’ll yield our will to His will, moment-by-moment.
The attitudes we have inside produce outward actions. “So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). The more intimate our relationship is with Jesus, the more we work for Him, bearing fruit.
If you’re saved, then God expects you to bear fruit. In fact, bearing fruit is the reason we exist. That’s why Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (v5). What other purpose does a branch have other than to produce the fruit of the vine? Likewise, we always know who we are and what our purpose is when we find our identity in Jesus Christ.
But fruit bearing isn’t passive. Weeds have to be tended in order to produce good fruit. Things such as having a wrong attitude or being out of fellowship with another believer harm both the quality and quantity of our fruitfulness.
So, take an honest look at your life. How’s your fruit? Is it healthy and plentiful? If not, then you’re either not in the vine or you’re not cultivating properly. Remove any sinful weeds that are hindering your growth. Examine whether your identity has started to form around anything other than Jesus. Remember, bearing fruit is not just a possibility for believers, it’s what God expects of His children.