Fruit With Patience (Luke 8:15)

Recently, I posted online a picture of a tomato plant from my garden.  Hanging from that plant in mid-June were a few golf ball sized tomatoes.  My caption, "Come on" were my words of anticipation for the delicious fruit to get here.  In order to get to this point, it took a great deal of time.  I first prepared the soil and planted the seeds in little cups.  Throughout April and early May, I nurtured the plants with water and exposure to the sun.  Around Mothers' day, they were planted in the ground followed by pruning, watering and weeding.  In all, it should take about 10 weeks before I will get the fruit that I desire.  Fruit just takes time.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15)

It also takes time to produce the fruit of God.  It is easy to make fruit that shows on the outside and you can do it in no time at all, but it might not really be fruit.  Change your clothes, change your hair, you can even change your words and the places your feet may take you.  However, true fruit takes time and first begins on the inside of the believer and like any fruit bearing plant, it will take time to grow.  It begins with a seed of truth from God's word.  If we yield to it, it will begin to grow.  Each day, we will need to keep or guard this truth in our hearts.  As we do, the early signs of fruit will begin to show: much like my small green tomatoes.  Over time, the truth will become a habit that we have put on.  If you continue the process, you will grow and your fruit will yield 30, 60 and even 100 fold. (Mark 4:8)