Take an inventory. What in your life is proof positive that you’re joined at the hip with Christ? What fruit for God do you bear?

We talked about being “raised to walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4, 7:6) So what’s new? We also talked about “a form of teaching” (Romans 6:17) that we now adhere to as believers. On that note, here are three kinds of fruit taught by the apostle Paul with which we can account for our spiritual growth, the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of the Light, and the fruit of righteousness.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Then there’s Ephesians 5:8-9, that instructs us to “walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth).” And in Ephesians 5:8-9 we read this: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

The presence of Christ in us should produce what we can only conclude is Christ-like behavior or good fruit. And these qualities, like Peter says, should increase with time!

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:8

My question is this. How hard do we Christians have to work to squelch or quench any semblance of godly behavior in our walks? The answer is, it’s hard and probably impossible to pull this off. For God will allow waywardness only temporarily (1 Corinthians 11:30), and besides, we will be miserable souls throughout!

Better to do the right thing, and to do so is not burdensome! (1 John 5:3)

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30