Is your fruit ripe?

Fruitfulness is the heart of God for us. There is a time to work hard, really hard and sow a seed. Yes, we are to toil the ground. I have never thought laziness will get one very far.
However when you have toiled and tilled and sowed, there is a fruit time for all of us.

The first question I must ask is have I sowed and toiled?

If yes, then I should expect fruit. Jesus did many times speak of fruit. In John 15:16 He said: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. We have been designed to bear fruit.

I know I will bear fruit because I was designed that way. However, I want ripe fruit. Fruits that have not ripened are hard to eat and taste sour. So what will ripen your fruit? What will accelerate the process where your fruit will become supple, sweet and enjoyable to eat? Can you imagine a soft fleshy mango fruit? What will make it so ripe that it begins to fall off the tree of its own accord? When I was young, we had a mango tree in our yard. In fact we had a few of them. We also had banana trees and pineapple trees. You name it, we had them. I enjoyed sitting for hours reading a book nearby the mango tree. I often remember watching the tree intently, being able to spot the fruit that would drop next, because they often had the same characteristics; they had morphed into a softer, more yellow, well-formed mango fruit. I knew they would fall. They were ready. The stem that held them to the tree would snap and let go, because the fruit did not need the tree anymore. And yet I watched other mango fruits on the same tree hanging on for such a long while; yet they failed to ripen. Such fruit reminds me of a pregnant woman. She gets pregnant and for nine months carries the baby as it grows. Then she goes into labor. Labor though painful, is designed to birth the fruit. And after labor, voila! You see the baby. Now imagine a prolonged labor, or a prolonged pregnancy? This exposes the mother and child to life threatening dangers. Staying on the tree for too long time, failing to evolve and ripen, exposes such fruit to attacks from the enemy; such perils from birds and other scavenging animals increases.

And so we must pray for our fruit to ripen. We must pray that it does not only ripen, but it ripens sweetly. It ripens healthily. We must pray that our children ripen. Yes, we must pray that the mission and vision God had for us ripens. I have seen many Christians with sour fruit; invariably these people complain a lot because their fruit has become sour. Are you a complainer? It might just be because your fruit has failed to ripen.

So what helps our fruit to ripen? Prayer. Also our faithfulness to God and His word. Another thing, we must refuse to be bitter towards anyone and anything. We must let go of our hurt and disappointment. If you are bitter, you won’t be able to bear ripe fruit. You can only bear what is already in you. Joy always bears supple sweet fruit; peace also bears sweet fruit. In fact if the fruits of the Spirit are truly operational in your life, you will bear ripe fruit. I pray that your fruit ripens and falls easily into your hands in Jesus’ name. And yet I know that this can and will only happen if you are faithful.

Linda Faith
Linda faith is the Editor in Chief of Jewels Magazine. She has authored eight books. She is a prolific writer and powerful speaker, inspiring many women to be all God has called them to be. She is the founder of Joy Women’s conference which reaches out to empower, inspire and motivate women in their faith walk. She was a software developer before she started writing.
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