For a long time I had doubts about the difference between gifts and fruits. And the meaning is so deep and beautiful. When we understand this difference, we feel part of something and it fills us with hope and identity.
A good soil
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”
Matthew 12:33
What God does and pours out to us concerns the gift. Fruit is the result of what we do with the gift He has given us. If the gift is the seed that God gives, it says much more about the Lord. The fruit speaks more about the type of land in which that seed was deposited. That is, the fruit speaks about us.
Everything we receive from Him must be used for the sake of the Kingdom. We are graced by Him so that we can serve each other better. Thus, we can build the path to His Kingdom in the best way. These seeds planted in our hearts, the gifts we receive from the Father’s grace, need to be watered and cultivated. Through the care we have for these gifts from Him, fruits are generated for Eternity.
Even if the seed is sown by Him, even if its growth is based on the Father’s nutrition and the water that waters it also has to come from Him, even though He is the source of EVERYTHING… we need to work to be good soils and fertile land. We need to make room for His light to reach our soil, for the Lord’s water to bring life to every root.
A good sowing
“Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing.“
John 15:4-5
We need to surrender to God’s plans to allow these outpouring gifts to manifest. This not only changes our lives, but also the lives of those around us, having a direct impact on Eternity.
This is bearing fruit for Eternity: Allowing the manifestation of gifts and talents, bringing people to God and bringing the knowledge of Who Jesus is to people.
Each one has a special purpose in life and makes a unique contribution to the Kingdom, just as He made us unique, even though we are part of a larger body. This outpouring of grace demonstrates God’s love and care for the Kingdom, the body, and (not least) us.
Understanding this requires responsibility, humility and a heart willing to put into practice everything God gives us as a direction.
A good harvest
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.”
Psalms 1:3
Ask God to guide you, give you wisdom and discernment so that you can use your gifts and talents in the best way, aiming at what is eternal and not what is earthly and transient.
This empowerment can only come from Him, the good fruit is generated in us only when we are in Him, because none of what I’ve said so far is born from your strength, but from the Father’s hands. Through His grace we can be channels of healing, consolation, hope, transformation, growth…
God has entrusted great things into our hands to be molded and perfected with the help of His hands. What comes from the Father has an overwhelming power to transform everything around. Everything that comes from Him is seed. He doesn’t throw stones to trick us into waiting for a harvest that won’t come. What He does prospers and there is always the promise that there will be an even greater harvest than we expect.
Our lives need to be a living testimony of the Father’s love and grace, because that’s what we live for. This happens as we use our gifts to make a difference in the world, bringing glory to His name.
