Daily devotional, Dec 9, 2023 The fruit basket

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." 
John 15:7-8

One of the best gifts to give and receive this Christmas season are fruit baskets. In a tropical country like ours, fruits are abundant, fresh and delicious so sharing a healthy package of sweet goodness is one of the best ways to show our love for relatives and family friends.

As Christians, it is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who makes us fruitful. When we abide in Him, and live under his reign, our lives become fruitful spiritually, and outwardly.
As an attempt to quell the rebellion of the Israelites prior to their entry to Canaan, the Lord performed a miracle that involved His high priest Aaron. He asked Moses to gather every tribe leader’s rod, including that of Aaron to show whom He has chosen to be the Israelites’ High Priest. According to the Lord, the rod that will sprout will be that of his chosen one.

"The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. " 
Numbers 17:8

Biblical scholars explain that the sprouting alludes to the fruitfulness of the lives of God’s chosen ones. It shows that with God’s love, healing, and mercy — a rod, which is essentially made of dead wood— can still bear good fruit. God alone can restore our dead sinful souls into fruitful and spiritually productive spirits:

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." 
Isaiah 43:18-19

We have to remember that for us to continue to be fruitful, we have to stay close to our Heavenly Father. Just as the Lord asked Moses to keep Aaron’s fruitful rod near the Tent, Jesus Christ reminds us to stay connected to Him because only then can we bear fruit:

"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." John 15:5

Jesus Christ says, when we are living apart from Him we are just like dead wood that is best thrown into the fire (John 15:6). He indeed never liked unproductive fruit trees. In the Gospel of Mark, our Lord and Savior cursed a barren fig tree, which bible scholars interpret as Him denouncing spiritually bankrupt Christians:

"And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it." Mark 11:13-14

So what do unfruitful Christians are like? St. Paul the Apostle explained to the Galatians that those who do not abide by the Holy Spirit are those who pursue worldly things:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who dosuch things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

So how do we know if we are bearing fruit? How do we know if we are indeed connected to Jesus Christ? How will we know if our connection to our Lord and Savior can be seen by others in our life? St. Paul has answered these questions in the same letter to the Galatian church:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." 
Galatians 5:22-24

If the fruits of the spirit can be seen and felt by others from you, then your life indeed is comparable to the abundant, sweet, and generous helping of fresh produce in a Christmas Basket that is meant to be shared and enjoyed with others!

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Numbers 17:1-11 and John 15:1-11 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: How is your Christian life so far? Can you say that you are bearing fruit?

Conversation with the Lord:  Lord Jesus Christ, I praise and thank you for giving me the chance to bear fruit. For restoring me, and renewing my purpose, so that I could be fruitful and live a life that is pleasing to you. Amen.