“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6.43-45
I saw on Instagram today a guy who can take any random Lego set—whatever pieces are in the box—and build the Star Wars Millennium Falcon with them. I was blown away! If the Holy Spirit can give someone that kind of creative genius with plastic bricks, He can certainly help me turn the familiar opening chapters of Luke into fresh, life-giving Advent messages.
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, bore perfect fruit. The ultimate fruit He bore was on the cross, and through it He brought salvation to all humankind. The life He lived and the death He died brought glory to the Father and freedom to everyone trapped in sin and enslaved to the devil. Jesus is the very definition of fruitfulness in ministry. True fruitfulness is measured by His life and by His commission to send us out to make disciples of all nations.
So why do we sometimes struggle to recognize or produce good fruit ourselves?
Jesus made it simple: a good person brings good things out of the good stored up in their heart. Just like a storehouses reveal what has been put into them over time, our hearts reveal what we have been treasuring for years. A hay barn doesn’t fill itself overnight, and neither does a heart full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We are created in God’s image-bearers, designed to bear beautiful fruit when we abide in Christ and are filled with His Spirit. But if we’ve been storing up anger, bitterness, lust, or selfishness, that’s what will spill out—like thick, black, foul-smelling exhaust pouring from an engine that’s been running on bad fuel.
What we think matters. What we allow into our minds settles into our hearts and eventually flows out of our mouths.
This Advent season, let’s choose to bear good fruit.
Speak kindly and encourage others. Compliment freely, give generously, and live selflessly, pouring out the fruit of the Spirit wherever you go. Let the Babe in the manger remind us of the innocence, grace, and love we have received—and let that same grace and love mark everything we do, because we have been made clean by the blood of the Lamb.
“O Lord God, you are good and worthy of praise. Even when my love fails, your love remains steadfast. Even when I run away from your holiness, toward the stink of death and the lure of sin, you continue to pursue me. I am a good-fruit-producer only when I am connected to you. Come now, Holy Spirit, fill me with your love. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen