Known by fruits

Matthew 7 : 15 - 20

...you will know them by their fruits....

For the past ten days or so, I have been doing more than I can or should. I was trying to help out a Dr friend who suddenly had to take some time off for an extended period of time and needed help at her clinic. Well, as usual, my desire to be helpful brought me to a place where I came face to face with my limitations.

It is easy enough to focus on the external fruits of our ministries and work - the programs, the number of people who came, our helpfulness. And that has a place, for we are to give what we have ourselves received. But there is also a more subtle warning here. There is also a call to look at fruits that are less visible - the inward qualities. For sometimes, we clothe ourselves well enough with outer garments, but fail to take note of the inner clothing.

In trying to 'help much' (on top of my other commitments), I became tired out and also became grumpy and full of self pity. Not a pleasant person to be with, as the Spirit revealed. And as I recalled the fruit of the Spirit that Paul mentions in his letter to the Galatians, I was, at that point, unable to say that that was descriptive of me. Sometimes of course, it is not due to overwork, but just a failure to allow the Lord to do the deep inner work required that His fruit will be evident in our lives. I believe this will not be fruit that can easily be measured by numbers, by programs and work success. The Lord is the one who will be able to decide whether we are bearing worthwhile fruit. And it will be fruit of both our inner and outer worlds. Both need tending. A sound tree has a solid trunk and deep roots......a bad tree might actually be rotting inside, and thereby unable to produce the fruit the Lord seeks.