Philippians 1:11: Filled With the Fruit of Righteousness

Philippians 1:11
[11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (ESV)

When I was a child my father had a bunch of fruit trees planted in the yard. I remember one year we postponed our vacation so that we could harvest all of the plums that ripened almost all at one time. We had apple trees, a pear tree, a peach tree, and a good sized garden. One thing I can say that we expected from the fruit trees:  fruit!

I can assure you that my father would not have spent the time, money, and effort to plant fruit trees if he had no expectation of eventually enjoying the fruit. Sadly, there are many believers who seem to live their lives with no expectation of fruit being produced in their lives. It is enough for them that God has planted them.

Paul says that as we look forward to the Day of Christ Jesus we should expect to be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. That leads us to consider, "If there is no fruit in my life, how am I hindering the work of Jesus Christ in me. Jesus did not plant us so that we could be sterile, but rather we are to reproduce! Their should be fruit. If there is fruit in our lives Paul says this will be to the glory and praise of God, which should be our ultimate purpose.

Romans 6:22
[22] But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (ESV)

You have been planted to bear the fruit of righteousness. The fruit is a result of Jesus Christ working in you. Draw close to him. Allow him to bring forth much fruit in your life.