Bible Study: The Call to Fruitful Living

Many people measure the fruitfulness of their lives by the quantity of their activities. But this does not give a true picture. What you are is more important that what you do. The Bible emphasizes “being” and “character.”

John 15:4-5 (NKJV) ”Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.” Think of a tree. Visualize all the branches on that tree. If there were no stump (or vine), could those branches thrive? No. They would wither and die. Jesus is the Vine and believers are the branches. In order to bear fruit, we must abide in Him. Without the Vine, the branch can do nothing.

The Fruit of the Spirit is found in Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Are you bearing this fruit? Surrender to the Lord, and allow Him to work in you and through you, and you will find yourself possessing these wonderful qualities before you even realize what happened.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out it roots by the river, and will not fear when the heat comes; but it’s leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” So much is implied in these Scriptures. If we trust in the Lord, and our hope is in Him, we will be healthy and happy (green) when situations and people around us are dry and depressed. We won’t be anxious at the thought of lack or worry about our needs being met, because we are planted by the waters (God and His Word), AND we will NOT cease from yielding fruit. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s amazing!