Why do the Righteous Bear Fruit?

The righteous bear fruit which allows them to stand before God. Their lives produce something fit to be offered to Him. But as I said in the last post, it is not the deed that redeems a person and makes them righteous. The righteous works of a man are like filthy rags, fit for nothing. But the works of a righteous man are good and pleasing to God. So the question becomes, why do the righteous bear fruit?

The answer to this question is found in verses 2-3. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

When I was reading this chapter earlier in the week something hit me for the first time. Verse 2 says that he meditates IN the law of the Lord day and night. In, not on. I think usage of the preposition in speaks so much more clearly about the key to bearing fruit. When something is on something it can be removed. A book set on a table can easily be picked up. A sock dropped on the floor is easy to move. When something is on something it is resting there, but it is exposed. A house built on a hill, though it has a solid foundation, is still on it. It is exposed to the elements and will be damaged over time, eventually falling down.

But the word in gives a whole new picture. When something is inside of something else it is covered and protected. My heart is located inside my chest, surrounded by my ribs, some muscle and flesh, in order to protect it. When something is in something else, it is covered and protected. In some ways it becomes part of that thing surrounding it. That is the idea of our relationship with God and His standards. We are to meditate in them day and night. They are to become a part of who we are, and we are to live according to His standards. The longer we meditate on them, the easier it becomes to live them out because they are that much more apart of us.

And as we become enveloped in God, something incredible happens. We become a tree firmly planted by streams of water. Apart from God we are confined to a container. Our growth is hindered, our supply of resources is limited, and our productivity is greatly slowed and diminished. But when we come to God, when we allow Him to save us, forgive us, and redeem us, He removes us from the container and plants us in good soil. Here we have limitless room to grow. The roots can grow deep and spread out, securing us.

Not only are we planted in good soil, but it is by a stream of water. There is a constant source of life that we can tap into and grow. And when this is the case, we produce fruit in season and the leaf does not wither. It is crucial to note that fruit comes in season. There is a time for an apple tree to give apples, and a time for it not to. Different types of apple trees produce fruit at different times of the year. And it's the same way with us. There will be times when we produce fruit and times when we don't. There will be times when we produce a great abundance of fruit, and other times when we produce only a little. But remember, the leaf does not wither. The tree is never dead. It is constantly growing, constantly sending its roots deeper. It is constantly alive and growing, and when it is able to, it produces fruit that is fit to be presented to God.

The righteous man can stand before God because he has fruit to offer. The righteous man has fruit to offer because he is connected to God and growing. If there is no connection to God there is no life, and therefore no fruit, only chaff. Where there is only chaff, there is no offering and therefore no way to stand.

What does your life look like? Right now I don't feel like I'm being very fruitful. I've seen some fruit in the past, nowhere near as much as I'd like to, but there has been some. But right now it feels like I'm not in season. It's frustrating to not be able to do the thing that you know God has called you to do. But at the same time it's crucial to remember that I am rooted in God, still alive, and still needing to grow so that when the season comes, I can produce an abundance.

Right now I'm trying to pour into some people that God has laid on my heart, and some others that He has put in my path. My situation isn't ideal by any means, but it is where God has me planted for right now. What about you?

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you