Josiah Was Here

This is how I found my nightstand yesterday afternoon.  My first thought?  That’s a sure sign Josiah’s been in here playing.  It’s just a very “Josiah” thing to do.  My being able to tell where Josiah’s been by the difference he made makes me wonder if anyone can tell where I’ve been by the difference that I’ve made.  Does God see the lives I’ve touched and say “Wow, I can tell Christy’s been here.”?  Am I recognizable by my fruit?  

We are called to bear good fruit, to make an impact on our world for Christ, but that “good fruit” can take many forms.  There are many different kinds of good fruit trees.  An apple and a coconut are both good fruit although they are very different.  You will never find apples growing on a coconut tree or coconuts growing on an apple tree.  What kind of a tree am I?  Apple, orange, mango, banana, coconut, lime, pear?  That’s only to name a few.  Have you ever been to a foreign grocery store?  They sell fruit we’ve never even heard of.  Just imagine the diversity of good fruit there is among Christians!  

I want my fruit to be good, but I don’t want it to be the same as someone else’s.  I want to leave MY mark.  I want to use the talents, gifts, and personality that God has given me for him in a way that only I can.  I want to hear someone say, “Wow, I can tell Christy’s been here.  This good fruit is so ‘Christy’!”

By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Matthew 7:16-20