Are you fruity? If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? We are called by God to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are set apart, sanctified to God. Sanctified means dedicated for a holy purpose. As Christians, we are to be dedicated to God. Set apart from all other people—peculiarly different. The difference between Christians and non-Christians should be obvious. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of God lives inside us and changes us.
The more we realize the price Christ paid to redeem us, the more it will profoundly affect who we are. It affects the way we live. It affects the way we think. It affects the things we do. It even affects the things we desire. Soon it is obvious we are indeed different from those around us who do not have faith, because faith in God is a powerful and life changing force.
Think of two people, wandering in the desert, each holding a glass of water. They are both thirsty but won’t drink the water because they think it’s actually poison. Suddenly, God opens the heavens and tells them both, “Drink. This is not poison. It is water. It will save you.” One believes God and the other does not. The one who believes will drink and be satisfied. The one who does not believe will remain thirsty. So you see, true faith leads to action.
It is the same with us, except our faith is not in water. Our faith is in the living Son of God! And more than that, we believe He lived a perfect life, suffered and died in our place, was buried in the earth for three days, rose again to live forever, and that we will join Him! How can that not affect us? How can that not change our lives? It most definitely will, unless we don’t really believe.
Galatians 5:22-23a says, “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” As we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives and change us, we begin to exhibit these kinds of spiritual fruit more and more.
And that brings me back to the original question of this article; are you fruity? Do you really believe what you profess? How has your faith changed you? Are you now different from the way you were when you first believed? Does your faith cause you to bear fruit? I hope so, because true faith changes us from our old way of being into the fruity new creations God wants us to be. Of course, I’m no expert and certainly don’t claim to know everything, but that’s the truth as far as I can tell…
God loves you and so do I!
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