SO taught our Lord. And a very simple method is this of testing a tree. Many persons can hardly tell one tree from another, but most people know what is the fruit of the tree. There are many professors of religion, whose lips might deceive us, and whose pretensions might almost command us to regard them with respect, but the Lord does not bid us gauge them by such things. There were no more strict professors of religion, and none more pretentious, than the Pharisees of old, but Jesus judged them by their fruits. Our young readers should take this test with them in their daily life.
Let us also try ourselves by the same test. We are what we do. Men do not gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles. We cannot cultivate a thorn bush into a vine, or a thistle into a fig tree, neither can anyone be educated into being a true Christian. The true Christian is one who is born again, and in him God the Holy Spirit dwells, and by that Spirit he is enabled to produce the fruits which are, acceptable to God.
Some of the trees of the Lord's planting do not bear so much fruit as do others, but all bear some fruit—some thirty, some sixty, some an hundredfold. Consider the multitude of acorns that grow upon one oak. Yet that oak was once a solitary acorn, but, as years rolled on, it grew and spread out its branches, and these in prosperous seasons gave forth their fruit, till millions and millions of acorns fell from that one tree. In some seasons trees bear more abundantly than in others, and so it is with the Christian, but ever does this word stand, "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit."
Fruit does not come forth in a tree all at once. The process is usually slow. However, whether slow, or comparatively quick of development, the whole life and being of the tree is in order to the bearing of fruit. And this principle is most true of the Christian; he lives not for himself, but for the glory of God, and if he do not bring forth fruit his life is so far wasted.
There is only one way of fruit-hearing, and that way Jesus shows to us in His words recorded in John 15 It is abiding, dwelling in Christ. When the heart is at home in Christ, the thoughts, the words, the actions of the believer are acceptable to God the Father. We are not the best judges of the character of fruit we bear—though we should live in self-judgment-others will discern what we are like by our ways and words.
Our influence is the most important part of our lives. Never underrate your influence, and never forget that though you should be but a little child at school, you cannot avoid influencing others.
The fruit of the Spirit in us is our love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance—and such excellent things anyone can take knowledge of, anyone can perceive to be beautiful and Christ like. Those things are of more worth than all the jewels this world can display, and by such fruits the humble follower of the Lord Jesus is known.