We measure fruit by numbers. We measure it by appearances. We measure it by what we can see. We count the converts. We count the baptisms. We count the attendance. We count the offerings. We count the decisions.
And we think: This is fruit. This is success. This is what matters.
But Jesus measured fruit differently. He did not count what we count. He did not see what we see. He measured by a different standard. A different criterion. A different value.
This is what we have forgotten. This is what we need to remember.
The Fruit We Cannot See
Turn with me to the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is talking about the sower and the seed:
"And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. But when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These are likewise the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness, yet they have no root in themselves, endure but for a while. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, they immediately stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns who hear the word, and the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the seductions of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground who hear the word in an honest and good heart, have it in their hearts, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience."
Mark 4:15-20Bring forth fruit with patience.
Fruit with patience. Not fruit with numbers. Not fruit with appearances. Fruit with patience.
That is what Jesus measured. Not the immediate result. Not the visible result. The patient result. The lasting result.
This is what we forget. We want immediate fruit. We want visible fruit. We want measurable fruit.
But Jesus measured fruit with patience. Fruit that takes time. Fruit that endures. Fruit that remains.
The Root That Matters
And then there is this, from the Gospel of Matthew:
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by its fruit. brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."
Matthew 12:33-35For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The fruit comes from inside. From the heart. From the treasure within.
We measure fruit by what comes out of the mouth. By what others can see. By what can be counted.
But Jesus measured fruit by what is inside. By the heart. By the treasure within.
That is what we do not see. That is what we cannot count. That is what we cannot measure.
But that is what matters to Jesus.
The Fruit That Remains
And then there is this, from the Gospel of John:
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples."
John 15:5-8Bear much fruit.
But what kind of fruit? Not the kind we measure. Not the kind we count.
Fruit that remains. Fruit that abides. Fruit that comes from staying connected to the vine.
This is what Jesus measured. Not the fruit we produce. The fruit that comes from abiding. The fruit that comes from staying connected.
We measure fruit by what we do. But Jesus measured fruit by what we abide in. By what we stay connected to.
That is the difference. We measure output. Jesus measured input. We measure visible results. Jesus measured invisible roots.
The Measure We Use
So what do we do? How do we measure fruit? What standard do we use?
We use numbers. We use appearances. We use what we can see.
But Jesus used a different measure. He measured fruit with patience. He measured fruit by the root. He measured fruit by what remains.
Let me ask you: What kind of fruit are you producing? Are you producing fruit that can be counted? Or fruit that remains?
Are you producing fruit with patience? Or fruit for the moment?
Are you producing fruit from the heart? Or fruit from the performance?
This is the question. Not: How much fruit do you produce? But: What kind of fruit do you produce? Not: How many? But: Does it remain?
Jesus measured fruit differently than we do. And maybe we need to measure the same way He does.
Not by numbers. By patience. Not by appearances. By roots. Not by what we see. By what remains.
That is the measure. That is what matters to Him.
Try This Today
Ask yourself honestly: What kind of fruit am I producing? Bring that to Him in prayer. Ask Him to help you produce fruit with patience. Fruit from the heart. Fruit that remains.
We measure fruit by what we can see. Jesus measured fruit by what we cannot see.
This is the difference. This is what we have forgotten.
Let us measure the way He measures. Not by numbers. By patience. By roots. By what remains.
That is the fruit that matters. That is the fruit that lasts.
Father, forgive me for measuring fruit by numbers instead of patience. Teach me to measure the way You measure. Let me produce fruit that remains. Fruit from the heart. Fruit with patience. In Jesus Name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire