“Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From Me is thy fruit found.” (Hosea 14:8)
Hosea is prophesying about Israel when Israel will return to the Lord. Only as the vine is getting its strength and life from the tree is it able to bear fruit. Likewise, only in our attachment to God will we live and bear fruit. To be detached is to die because God is the source of life. Jesus spoke on this very thing. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-6)
Jesus is the tree which gives life. Unless we believe on Jesus and receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we are not united to the life-giving grace of the Lord. And we cannot bear fruit. We may try but we cannot produce fruit. We don’t have the life to produce fruit. Only as we are united to Jesus can we receive what is needed to produce fruit. The Father is the farmer who takes the branches that are not producing fruit. Although they seem to be attached to the tree, they are dead and need to be separated from the tree.
What is this fruit? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) This fruit may be duplicated but not sustained for long without being united to Jesus. The fruit is not produced by God. It’s fake, weak and will soon disappear. When united to Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us, we will find this fruit displayed in all that we do, say and think. “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25) This is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in us. (Philippians 2:13)
We may think that this work is impossible in us. We think on our great deficiencies and failures, but God is not dismayed. We are united to His Son and will not fail and cannot but bear the fruit of the Spirit as long as we remain united to Him. Jesus used the word abide which means to continue, to dwell, to endure, to be present, to remain, to stand and to tarry. As long as we continue to believe and trust the Lord with our lives, and live our lives concentrated to Him, enduring and persevering the trials and afflictions of this life, gaining strength and wisdom, knowledge and understanding of spiritual things, we continue to be united to Jesus. As we live and delight in His Presence, we can remain in Him. We can stand in His victories as we wait for His Promises to us.
We live in Christ so we are assured of His life-giving grace in our lives. When in the passing of time, we look at the changes in our lives, we know that God has worked His good pleasure in us. We know it was not on our own effort, but by the Lord’s good work, He has changed us because we have given Him our lives. And He has made something beautiful out of the mess we were. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) We have allowed Jesus to live in us and through us.
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