“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.” John 15:16

Last week, I wrote a reflection on what it means to abide and be firmly rooted in Christ and His love. Check it out. This week, I want to continue with the John 15 theme, but reflect more on the idea of bearing fruit, especially based on what I learned during my amazing time in Ecuador this summer.

Honestly speaking, bearing fruit is a rather strange idea when you stop and think about it. Jesus is telling us in John 15 to bear fruit. Does the fruit spoil? Is it visible to others? Is it edible (whatever that may mean)? My thoughts on fruit in the context of my faith were mainly limited to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 and I had never considered the fruit side of John 15 until it was the theme for my internship in Ecuador.

“I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.” (John 15:16a) Bearing fruit is not out of our choice, it is what we are called to do by Christ and for His glory. “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (v8) Furthermore, the world will recognize that we are followers of Jesus by the fruit that we bear, like a uniform or brand. A common pitfall for many believers is the thought that bearing fruit is optional and a decoration, something that would be nice, or maybe something that shows you are super-spiritual—not an identifier as a Jesus follower or something God asks of us.

I loved how my team leaders on the internship emphasized bearing fruit and prayed for each of us interns and the individual fruit we would bear on the trip, before we ever arrived and met them! They wanted us to have fun, make amazing memories, gain a broader understanding of medicine overseas, and have near-death experiences to tell about—but more importantly, they desired for us to learn, grow, and bear fruit that would transcend the 6 weeks we spent in Ecuador and all the things we did there. They shared Jesus' desire that we “bear fruit—fruit that will last”, praying that as their prayer for us, encouraged us to pray for that as well, and frequently discussing the topic that we might be mindful and considerate of the opportunities to bear fruit.

Fruit comes in all shapes, flavors, textures, and sizes. Each is unique in its own way and cannot be compared to others. In our world of comparison and standards, we find it far too easy to include spiritual fruit as just one additional way to compare ourselves with others. Just like a pineapple cannot be compared and said to be better than a watermelon or an orange, I cannot compare the fruit I have born with the fruit of my teammates, even if we had the same experiences. God grew the fruit of hospitality in one of my teammates, and while I saw a bit of that fruit in my own life, God grew much more of the fruit of trust in me instead. It is not because my teammate is more spiritual than I am, or because God likes him more than me that he got more of that fruit than I did. We are all at different stages in life and various places of growth, pruning, and fertilizing, so comparison is unnecessary and impractical.

Some fruit grows very quickly or frequently, others take a long time, even years, before they can be harvested. We cannot do something or have an experience and immediately expect to see a lot of fruit. Sometimes we may bear fruit right away, often it will take further reflection, prayer, and maybe other experiences through which God speaks and works, before we see any fruit. Be careful not to compare yourself with others and berate yourself because you do not see an abundance of fruit like those around you may have. Maybe they have tomatoes of trust and you have persimmons of patience!

It does NOT take an internship overseas or mission trip for you to bear fruit. God “chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” wherever He has placed you right now. Are you aware of the opportunities He has placed around you so that you can bear some fruit? Perhaps the fruit you are wanting to bear is different from the fruit God wants you to bear right now. Pray and ask God to open your heart and eyes to see the opportunities He sets before you daily, be patient, and give Him the glory for whatever He causes you to bear, whether it be blueberries, pears, avocados, mangoes, or watermelons! Be fruit-full!