Character Calling: TransformedSample

A TREE PLANTED

Have you ever considered the purpose of a fruit tree? Why does the tree produce fruit? It’s not because the tree itself is hungry or needs to eat. Nor is it because it just wants to look pretty with all the colorful fruit adorning its branches. A tree produces fruit for two reasons - first, to spread its life to more places, and second, to bless or provide for other creatures.

It’s the same with our tree (our life) and our fruit. We ended Day 2 with this phrase - the fruit of our life is love. That fruit is the result of a tree (or life) that is planted and rooted in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul lists the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, but notice that the first Fruit is Love - which is also the greatest and second greatest of the commandments!

And the Spiritual Fruit of Love displays itself and has the same purposes as the fruit tree in a garden or orchard. Spiritual Love is meant to spread life to more places and to bless (and feed) other creatures.

Think of the list of Spiritual Fruits and consider how these Fruits are linked to loving others. Character traits like gentleness, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and goodness are all displayed in relationships with people. You can sense someone’s peace or joy when they are interacting with you.

That means the fruit of our lives is an overflow - a direct response - of where our roots are planted and the type of nutrients our tree is getting. It’s like feeding your life a steady diet of God’s Word, prayer, and worship. In this way, the tree doesn’t have to struggle and try to produce fruit; it's completely natural for it to produce fruit, and healthy fruit reveals healthy roots.

When we’re rooted and grounded in Jesus through faith, believing in and connected to His Word through the study of Scripture, and connected to His Spirit in our lives, we’ll naturally produce fruit like Jesus did!

Consider: Am I producing the same kind of Fruit that was seen in Jesus’ Life? What fruit do I see in my life? Where is it growing in my life for good, and where is it lacking?

Pray: Ask Jesus to reveal a part of your life that isn’t bearing good fruit, and then ask Him what He wants you to do in that area instead.