Chosen to Bear Fruits

If we go to the Gospel of John, Chapter 15 and verse 16, Jesus says:“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” You and I have been chosen by God. We have been called by the Lord Jesus Christ to walk the talk. That’s right. We did not choose Him. He chose us, not just to have our sins forgiven, but so that we might be fruitful and productive.

We have been commissioned into this world to bear fruit.“What kind of fruit?” you might ask. Well, fruit that will not spoil, fruit that is lasting. What kind of fruit? Well, Galatians, Chapter 5 and verses 22 and 23 tell us nine fruits: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

One of my sons, Andy, is a fruit farmer. He grows strawberries and kiwi fruit. The shelf life is critical when you are a fruit farmer. The fruit needs to be picked at the right time. It needs to be put straight into a cool room and then it needs to be sent to market in a refrigerated truck. Now you and me, too, need to be sure that our spiritual fruit lasts. We cannot afford to blow hot or cold.

We have got to be the same, continually the same. We have got to bear that fruit, It doesn’t matter what our circumstances are, especially in these troubled days in which we are living, where everybody is looking for something substantial to hang onto. And you and I can show them the way and we really need to produce that fruit, to help that old lady when she is crossing the street, to go the extra mile for someone.

I remember, many years ago, watching a documentary of a young boy in South America in one of the slums, I think it was in Columbia. This little boy could only have been about ten or eleven years old. He was going into these little shacks where these old people were just lying in the corner of the room. He was getting them up, getting them washed, washing their hair. I will never forget it, giving them food, making them do exercises, making them do dance classes. They called him “the angel” of that particular area.

I want to say to you today, let’s go out and produce the fruit that the Lord Jesus Christ has called us to. Have a wonderful day as you go and bless somebody today, that car guard, that waitress, that person in the street. Give them a smile and produce the fruit of the Spirit. That is the best way to preach the Gospel.

God bless you and goodbye.