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WHEN IT COMES TO DETERMINING A 'FRUIT,' OFTEN THERE ARE GRAY AREAS
By their fruits you will know them, says the Bible.
But what is a "fruit"?
And more to the point, what about mixed fruits? (A basket of good and not so good -- even bad?)
Isn't that the case more often than not?
We like things "black or white" but most often there's that in-between "gray" area.
Bad fruits?
Those who are negative. Those who bring you down. Those who have pride. Those who have chips on their shoulders. Those who demand you be who they want you to be. Those who tend toward the occult. Those who always have a self-motive. Those who argue. Those who cause anxiety. Those who spawn illness. Those who grind against the spirit. Those who refuse to correct wrong habits. Those who are selfish.
This is the worst -- the most bitter -- fruit: arrogance.
It is ivy with "poison" in front of it.
Humility yields good fruit always.
Love yields good fruit always.
So does kindness. (The fruit of the vine is grapes which can be made into wine and wine consecrated is His Blood.)
Success in this "world"?
Mixed.
Money?
Depends on how it is used.
Health?
Often a sign of balance (but there is redemptive suffering).
Balance:
Now we get to a discernment.
Good fruit balances on the end of a branch until it is ripe.
A rotten fruit stays too long or falls too soon.
Bad fruit has no nutrition. It bolsters nothing. It can harm. A mixed one is okay -- sometimes.
Mostly, however, it comes with consequences that are unpleasant.
Some take the passage and figure that by knowing a tree by its fruit we are identifying it based on whether the fruit is a pear or a peach or an apple, an apricot.
But Jesus was clearly saying something else.
He spoke about a good fruit identifying a good tree and a bad fruit identifying one that was defective. Good fruit is good works.
He said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit" (John 15:1-8).
We "ripen" only with prayer, only with God, only with Jesus.
Don't let the world be your "fruit inspector."
It isn't on the surface that we can always tell; it is what's put forth; it's what comes from deepest within. It is the end result.
Does it nourish or just fill us with sugar?
Some fruit look great but are too bitter to eat and some look ugly but are unsurpassed in nutrition (see: ugly tomatoes).
Sloth is the fungus that afflicts; diligence fertilizes. Envy is rot that bores to the core.
When someone causes you anxiety, or oppression, or obsession, or depression; or despair; or guilt (for no good reason), these are at best mixed fruits; they may have other good attributes.
But:
Take what is good from them, love them, and leave the rest of what they present.
Look at the good part. Focus on what is bright.
At the same time, when there is a real issue, remember a simple piece of advice: distance yourself from that which afflicts you.
You owe no one your health or joy or peace of mind.
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