What fruit are we yielding?

“. . . he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” (Isaiah 5:2, ESV)

This section of Isaiah records a metaphor that pertains to house of Israel (v1-7). Israel was God’s chosen and beloved people. He did everything to make them fruitful and productive. Yet they chose to go the way of apostasy. While they continued in worship, their worship was vain and empty. It had relegated to vain ritual. Moreover, they had engaged in the practices of the nations around them, which included idolatry. Pride, injustice, and oppression, permeated the nation. This is among the fruit that they had had produced. The song Isaiah recorded indicates that their fruit was that of “wild grapes.”

 What was it that God desired of them? He desired a fruitful vineyard, full of luscious grapes. This would be the antithesis of what became of them. They were to produce the fruit of righteousness resulting from the indwelling presence of God in the nation. Instead of apostasy, they should have enjoyed the closeness of fellowship with God. Instead of vain worship, they should have experienced the joy of intimate communion with the Most High. Instead of pride, injustice, and oppression, they should have demonstrated humility, justice, and mercy.

What does this mean to us as believers who are the church? Just as Israel was to yield the fruit of righteousness so is the church. Therefore, we ought to examine ourselves. What type of grapes are we yielding? Are we, as believers who are the church, operating in the fringe of apostasy? Has our love for God grown cold? What is our attitude towards worship? Is our communion with God in worship the experience we love, or is it the experience we merely tolerate. Is it the experience we love, or is it one we try to avoid?

What spiritual fruit do we manifest in our lives? Does the Spirit or the flesh characterize our lives? Do we see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control or do we see enmity, fits of rage, selfish ambition, lusts of the flesh, pride, etc.

As individual believers and the church, do we function by faith or by sight? Have we placed our faith in the work of our own hands or in the living God? How often have we allowed the world’s affairs to control us? Many churches today seem to worship the god of attendance numbers, following the methodologies of man rather than seeking to join the Lord in His purposes. His will is for us to work at making disciples by trusting in Christ, the head of the church, to build His church.

So, let us examine the fruit of our lives and our church. Which type of grape characterizes us? There is an old saying, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” However, in this case I would like to change the saying. “If an incorrect shoe fits, repent, that is remove it, and put on the right shoe.”