The Fruit 

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. (Hebrews 12: 11 to 17) 

As described in the Bible, if we are in Christ Jesus then the Spirit of life would set us free from sin and death as described below. 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8: 1 2) 

By crucifying the flesh, we will yield the fruit of the Spirit as described below. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22 to 25) 

In the Bible, Jesus cursed a fruitless fig tree as described below. 

In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. (Matthew 21: 18 19) 

So, if we have Christ in us but yield no fruit then we are useless to Christ. To bear fruit, Christ needs to make changes in our life as the fruitless fig tree in his parable described below. 

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13: 6 to 9) 

Like the vinedresser, Christ will dig around our life to break our comfort zone and put on manure to make our life miserable that seemed to be too much for us to bear as described in the Bible below. 

The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows. (Psalm 129: 3) 

Yet the Holy Spirit would guide us and give us the strength as described below. 

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16: 13 to 15) 

After receiving all the truth, not only we could declare what is owned by Christ to us but also be set free as described below.  

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8: 31 32) 

Then we no longer live by flesh but by faith because it was not taught by the spirit of the world but by the Spirit from God as described below. 

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (First Corinthians 2: 12 to 15) 

The heavenly vision would give us the strength to lift our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees and make straight paths for our feet. Unlike Esau who couldn't bear the thirst of his flesh and sold his birthright for a single meal and was rejected of his desire to inherit the blessing, we will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Emmanuel. 

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