Category Archives: Fruitful Fridays

Among Christians today is called Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified.  I always thought “good” was such a strange way to describe the day.  That certainly wouldn’t have been how Jesus’ followers saw it at the time. Their humble, … Continue reading →

Maybe you just wrinkled your nose.  I did. Even though I know the good news I hope to convey today, I also know that work clothes typically don’t smell good. Even after a slow day in the office, my clothes … Continue reading →

Throughout this series, we’ve been looking in some detail at what it means to bear fruit in the Lord Jesus.  We’ve not spent much time on receiving fruit from the Lord or others.  Why not?  And what does God’s Word say about … Continue reading →

Maybe you’ve heard a shorter version.  “The successful will be punished.”  It’s usually said by someone who’s done their work so well that they’re given even more to do.  No break.  No promotion.  Not necessarily even a “thanks”.  Just more. … Continue reading →

All of us enjoy fruit, but few of us love the labor that goes into it.  Planting and pruning, for example, can be a real pain:  breaking up hard ground, bending down in the dirt, sowing seeds that may or … Continue reading →

God called Abram to follow Him by faith in Him, and He also promised that all who did the same would be fruitful and blessed.  Although there are no explicit references to “fruit” in this passage (or until chapter 17, … Continue reading →

“That’s apples and oranges!”  Maybe you’ve said or heard that to communicate that two things really shouldn’t be compared.  Yet, apples and oranges aren’t completely different.  Some might even argue they have more in common than not. The two trees … Continue reading →

Over and over in the Bible, we’re told to “root” ourselves in God Himself for fruit will reflect real Life (see the contexts of Psalm 80:15, Isaiah 11:1ff, 27:6, and 37:31, Jeremiah 17:8, Daniel 4:26, Hosea 14:5, Malachi 4:1, Matthew … Continue reading →

Last week we looked at the key difference between Cain’s fruit and Abel’s offering. This week, we’re asking why the Lord commanded Man to be fruitful and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28) but later wiped all but one family from the … Continue reading →

If you’ve been following this weekly series, you know we’re studying the metaphor of “fruit” in the Bible.  Specifically, we want to understand what it means to be the fruit of God’s image, because He also calls us bear fruit … Continue reading →

Being the seed of God’s image means we’re to bear “three-dimensional fruit” for holy relationships of love with Him and each other. Biblical prophets bear fruit “top-down” from God, especially to people in positions of authority to care for others … Continue reading →

The serious student of Scripture may be interested in what follows, but a lighter true story first might help remind us of how quickly we can fail and how much we need the Lord to make us truly clean for … Continue reading →

About 30 years ago, just for fun I decided to make some Indian curried chicken and mango chutney.  Although I don’t think I’d ever seen a mango before.  As I ventured into the fruit section of the grocery store and … Continue reading →

If you haven’t read the earlier post, “Life always starts with Seed”, please do.  In it, I introduce the fact that God created us as His seed to live in His image and gives His Word and Spirit as seed … Continue reading →

I know.  For most people, that’s probably a no-brainer about plants and other forms of physical life.  But it’s true of spiritual life, too.  Have you ever noticed the pattern and progression of God’s creation in Genesis 1? The Lord … Continue reading →

God created us and recreates everyone who follows Jesus to bear fruit for Him.  But bearing and enjoying fruit in this life – physical or spiritual – is usually a seasonal pleasure, isn’t it? Earlier this week we had our … Continue reading →