The Purpose of Fruit

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5

One of the things implicit in Jesus’s teachings about bearing fruit is that the fruit is for community. The idea is that we serve each other’s needs - that’s what fruitfulness means.

In the words of the author we’ve been following on this journey:

The point of my Christian life isn’t me—my growth, my catharsis, my contributions, my achievements… I’m not the fruit in this metaphor. I’m not supposed to be the end product of my own spiritual life. - Debie Thomas

Sure, Jesus has been growing you for your own joy and maturity. That is part of the spiritual journey. But wouldn’t it be disappointing - and sort of self-focused - if that’s all it were about? Rev. Thomas’s line that “I’m not supposed to be the end product of my own spiritual life” really gets at the core truth here that we’re in it together. I grow to serve others.

Spend some time praying about becoming more fruitful for Jesus. Who are some of the people that come to mind as ‘end users’ of your spiritual growth when you pray?