Apples vs. apples

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

I’ve been to apple orchards where the trees are literally hanging down with fruit. I’m talking about big, juicy, ripe, ready to eat apples. The kind that would make your mouth water. I’m talking about apples that need no added sugar when you make a pie, apples that from the first bite to the last leave you thinking, “Wow, that’s an awesome apple!”

These apples are hanging on trees that have been well cared for. They’ve been watered in the dry season and pruned in the off season. There are no weeds around the base of these trees and no vines entangling themselves in the branches. There are no insects feeding on the leaves and no diseases were allowed to grow. These were some happy, well-cared-for trees.

I’ve also seen apples on trees that were left alone to grow without the assistance of an arborist. These trees weren’t nearly as strong. There were weeds around the base and vines in the branches. Worms, insects, and disease were infesting the fruit and the tree itself. The fruit, well, the fruit left something to be desired. Most of the apples fell to the ground before fully ripening and most of them were rotten.

What was the difference between these two types of trees? Well, one lived under the care and protection of a master arborist. The other lived on its own, fending for itself in a cruel world. One tree never worked to produce its fruit. It was given food, water, nutrition, protection, and care, having never earned any of it. The other struggled daily to draw what it could find up from the ground, relying on its ability to sustain life.

We are like these these two trees. Some of us live under the care of a master arborist, the vine dresser Himself, Jesus Christ. Others live like the lone tree, determined to grow and bear fruit through their own doings. This is a picture of living under law versus living under grace.

The tree under grace had everything given to it. It didn’t deserve water in a drought. It didn’t do anything to earn protection from disease and insects. It was given all that it needed in an abundant supply so that, without work or struggle, it could draw from its abundance to produce perfect delicious fruit.

On the other hand, the tree living and growing on its own had a lot of problems. No one was there to stop the diseases and the insects from devouring the fruit and the branch. No one was there to give the roots water in a time of drought. No one came to fertilize the soil so that strength would be found in the trunk. It struggled continually and yet could only produce rotten fruit!

Friends, when we come to Christ we are uprooted from the desert of law and replanted in the fields of His grace. He not only protects us and feeds us, but He lives within us, becoming a part of us. He makes Himself our root and our supplier. He does the work, gives the supply, protects the branches, and grows the fruit. By making us righteous though His work, we are able to yield the fruits of His Spirit! “The root of the righteous yields fruit.” (Proverbs 12:12) The end result of all of this is the desire of others to consume the fruit of His righteousness. People will see what Jesus has produced in you. They will want it; let them take it. The fruit of the Spirit, grown within us, is not offensive and not condemning. It is inviting, delicious, sweet, and life giving.