But the fruit of the Ruach [the Spirit] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23, TLV
Real Fruit? Or Fake? The photo to the left is a display of fruit in my dining room. Yummy green and red apples, right? They’re fake — filled with sawdust.
Even close-up the fruit looks real. Picking up the fruit, there’s enough weight from the sawdust that it feels real. Real enough I’ve had to rescue many children and adults from taking a bite. They couldn’t tell the difference by sight.
Had I not been there to warn them, they would have discovered the truth in a very unpleasant way.
Spiritual Fruit is Like That
Discerning spiritual fruit is a little like my ornamental decoration. The real fruit of the Holy Spirit will not only look good but will DO and taste good. It will provide the person who “consumes” the fruit with wholesome nutrients. And for someone who is spiritually starving, the fruit will taste all that much sweeter and juicier.
We’ve all encountered spiritual “fake fruit” in other people, haven’t we? Fruit that looks shiny
and edible, but we’re disappointed and even harmed by its falseness. The fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control cannot be mimicked—faked—for very long. Once a bite is taken — yikes! — we get a mouthful of sawdust or worse.
Test the Fruit
How do we avoid false fruit? To not be deceived?
Loved ones, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1, TLV)
My mom used to say, “Watch people’s behaviors when they think no one is watching. That’s their true fruit.” Great advice. I would also add: Watch how people treat their own family. True fruit will taste just as sweet at home as in public.
I’ve encountered folks whom I thought had the sweet fruit of the Spirit, because that was how they treated me. When I witnessed repeated fake fruit to their spouses and/or children, I questioned whether I was tasting real fruit from them.
Eventually, their behavior seeped into how I was treated — that behavior revealed the true nature of the fruit. Now, I’m getting better at spotting the bad fruit before I take a bite.
But, really, determining if the fruit is real takes time.
How About us?
Is our fruit merely an attractive display? Or does our behavior point others to the love of our Savior? Are we sweetness to others, but at home sour crabapples?
Today, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to show us any fake fruit in our lives.
