Fruit – An Expected Outcome

“Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

Luke 13:6-7

If I walk into a grocery store I expect that I will find groceries. Likewise, if I walk into a zoo, I do not expect to find runways, ticket counters and tarmacs. There is an expectation based on the destination. There is also an expectation based on the type of person I am seeing. If you are a lawyer it is assumed you can assist individuals with their legal needs. A financial planner is expected to help me with my long term financial planning. What then is one expectation our heavenly Father has if we are Christ followers? If you answered “fruit” give yourself a gold star! Fruit is an expected outcome in our lives. It is not an option that we can select like we would choose an option on a car if we walked into that new car showroom. We understand this. We agree with this. But how fruitful are we? I am not talking about the “fruit” of church attendance or the “fruit” of giving or good works or anything else but the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). What then is the “secret” to being fruitful?

The answer is found in John 15: 4-5

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

    “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Do you want to bear much fruit? Abide or remain in the vine. Simply put – remain carries a definition of: “…to remain or stay, while others go….”.

 Don’t walk away – remain in Christ and bear much fruit for Him even when or if others walk away!