Pursuit22

Week 10:  A Tree Bearing Fruit

Memory Verse
{John 15.5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”}

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~Day 1~
Known by Fruit

Spring is finally here! It’s time for the flowers to start blooming, the birds to start singing, and the trees fill back up with those bright green leaves. It’s beautiful. There’s no doubt about it. We were created to love the beauty of spring. In our lives we go through our own winters and springs. There are times where the conditions aren’t the best and the world around you is cold and blooming seems impossible. And then there are times when everything lines up and you can’t help but flourish. This week we are going to talk about a comparison that is made in the Bible a lot. The comparison is between us, followers of Christ, and trees. Today we are going to take a look at why being a tree that bears fruit is important.

Read Matthew 7.17-20.  

This verse tells us that we will be recognized by our fruit. People will know whether or not we are a Christian by our fruit.

Read Luke 6.43-45.

Here we see the same concept that a good tree will bear good fruit. On down in this passage it relates it to someone with good treasure producing good in life. The passage ends with “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Our words, actions, and attitudes reveal the condition of our hearts. If you are always having a negative attitude or doing and saying hurtful things then the condition of your heart is ugly. When our heart is filled with Christ and we are looking to Him in our daily life, our words, actions, and attitude will be pleasing and glorifying to the Lord! People will not have to question what kind of tree we are because they will recognize us by our fruit.

-          When others look at you, what do you want them to see? Do you want them to see someone who is negative and rude or someone who shines the light of Christ, who’s full of joy and hope?

-          Take a minute to reflect. Be honest. Put yourself in one of the following categories.

o   Bearing bad fruit: Negative heart. Negative attitude. Negative actions. Negative words.

o   Not bearing at all: You wouldn’t say you are a bad person or a negative person or that you are doing things that hurt others. However, you aren’t doing anything to point people to Christ. You never talk about God. You don’t serve God.

o   Bearing fruit: Your eyes are set on Christ. While yes you still mess up and you still fall, the overall character of your life screams Jesus! You can’t help but talk about Him and serve Him. People see your joy and life very clear!

 

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~Day 2~
So what does fruit even look like?

So now that we recognize the importance of bearing fruit, some of you must be asking…. What does fruit eve look like? There is a variety of fruit that all grow on us when we are seeking Christ. Take a look at one set of fruit that the Bible lays out for us.

Read Galatians 5.22-23.

The fruit of the SPIRIT! As we look to Christ, He fills us more and more with the Holy Spirit! When we are living by the Holy Spirit, we will naturally produce this fruit: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF CONTROL. We will talk about these more in the weeks to come but here is just a brief overview of what fruit looks like.

Read Ephesians 5.8-9.

This verse commands us to walk as Children of the Light… Light referring to Christ. It clearly states that the fruit of light is GOOD and RIGHT and TRUE! So we know we are fixing our eyes on Christ and bearing fruit when our words, actions, and attitudes are GOOD, RIGHT, and TRUE.

-          Evaluate.  Look at each piece of the fruit of the Spirit and ask yourself if that is evident in your life?

-          Now think about your words…. Are they good, right, and true?

-          Think about your actions…. Are they good, right, and true?

-          Think about your attitude…. Is it good, right, and true?

-           

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~Day 3~
ABIDE

 

So now that you know why fruit is important and what it looks like, you might be wandering how you get it. Today I want you to read a very detailed passage of Scripture. Depending on what version you use, the word “ABIDE” or “REMAIN” is used several times in this passage. So I want us to take a look at the definition of the word abide.

Abide: to remain stable or fixed. To continue in a place.

Keeping that definition in mind, read John 15.1-11.

Throughout this passage we are told to Abide/Remain fixed in a few things.
Remain in Him. (stay fixed in Christ’s mindset and plan for your life)
Remain in His word [vs. 7]. ( stay fixed in the Bible and cling to the words of God)
Remain in His love [vs. 9]. (stay fixed in Christ’s love for you knowing that it is always consistent)
Remain in His commandments [vs. 10]. (stay fixed in His commands for your life)

Jesus says at the end that He tells us this so we may have the fullness of joy. But there is another verse that shows us what the result is. It’s actually my favorite verse in this passage. Reread 15.8. By remaining in Him we bring glory to God and prove to be His disciples!!!

 

-          Looking at the 4 specifics of remaining in Him, which area(s) do you need to be more stable in?

-          Do you feel like you  prove to be God’s disciple on a daily basis? How? Or How not?

 

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~Day 4~
Going Deeper

Read Psalm 1.1-3.

So looking at verse 3 we see that the man (or woman) being talked about here is someone planted who never stops bearing fruit. But why? We must go back and look at verses 1 and 2. He doesn’t act the way godless people act but he delights in the Lord and the Lord’s commands.

Read Jeremiah 17.5-8.

Here again in verse 8 we see yet another tree planted that bears fruit always. Looking back at verses 5-7 we see that this man is like this because he trusts in the Lord… not man! He is not anxious because he knows God is his supply.

-          Do you find joy in pleasing the Lord and walking in His commands for you?

-          Do you trust the Lord or man? When you have a problem do you turn to your friends or to God? When things don’t go your way do you stomp your feet in anger or trust that God has you right where He wants you to be?

 

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~Day 5~
The Produce

Read Mark 4.20.

When we accept the truth and stand on the Word of God we WILL bear fruit! It’s not something we have to force to happen! As you fix your eyes on Christ and dig into His Word on a daily basis all of this fruit will be visible. You won’t have to try to incorporate it. It is a naturally product of a genuine relationship with Christ. And when you have that look what happens…..

Read Proverbs 11.30.

This verse first says that doing good for the Lord becomes a tree of LIFE. And what does this tree of life do? My version reads that it “CAPTURES SOULS.” As you live for Christ and bear fruit and prove to be His disciple, you will capture souls!!! People will be drawn to Christ because of you fruit shining from your tree! Don’t miss the opportunity to capture souls for Jesus!

-          Are you capturing souls for Christ? What’s stopping you? DON’T LET IT!

 

What are your thoughts? I want feedback. Feel free to send me any question responses. I would love to hear from you, answer any questions you have, and pray for your needs specifically. Feel free to share this, comment, email me at brandycaudill90@gmail.com, or facebook message me!