Fruitful Faith

How do I know my faith is fruitful? Am I producing fruit that is pleasing to my Heavenly Father? I ask these questions often, as fruit is a reflection of a vibrant faith. So what is this fresh fruit of faith and where does it germinate? It begins with the seed of God’s Word being planted in the good soil of a teachable heart. So I ask myself, “Am I regularly receiving the Lord’s truth and allowing it to take deep root into my soul?”

Our faith is like a field in constant need of clearing, plowing, planting, weeding, watering and fertilizing. Our Heavenly Father is the faithful farmer who is always ready to work the soil of our heart with His loving care. So we are wise when we invite Him to break up the harden areas of our heart, to pull out the thorns of worry and to remove the rocks of unbelief. Our Savior’s seeds of truth transform fallow faith to one of fruitful abundance.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12, NKJV). Fruitful faith grows out of the ground God has rained down with righteousness.

How is the soil of your heart? Is it good and soft, full of the needed nutrients of honesty and humility? Have you replaced the old dirt from your past with the new ground of gratitude to God? If seeds of truth remain on the surface of your heart it may very well be snatched away by demonic distractions. Thus, daily invite God’s Word to sink down deep into your soul, so the roots of righteousness are not threatened, but blossom in belief.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). The regular discipline of watering with God’s Word produces the fruit of faith.

Therefore, look to the Lord of the harvest in faith and perseverance. The fruit of character does not come overnight. There are no shortcuts in your Savior’s ecosystem, so stay true to His process of prayer, study and service that, over time, grows you into your Lord’s likeness. Like a diligent farmer, see your soul sweat from spiritual discipline. Your Heavenly Father is the gardener over the grounds of your life– His harvest is huge.

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Corinthians 9:10).

How can I cultivate my heart to be fertile with faith? Am I submitted to God as the gardener over the grounds of my life?

Related Readings: Jeremiah 4:3; Galatians 6:9; 2 Timothy 2:6; James 5:7