Proverbs 11:30 says: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."

WHEN we think about fruit, there are three things that come to mind.

First of all fruit has appeal (pun intended). It is appealing for various reasons. For instance, consider the many different colors fruit has. Apples are red, bananas are yellow, oranges are orange and so on. As this fruit hangs from its tree, we are attracted to it by its color. God made fruit colorful to attract us to it so we would want to taste it. He wants us to eat fruit because it is good for us.

 As Christians, people should be attracted to us because of our "color". Our color - or attractiveness - should draw people because they should see Jesus in us. I am not speaking of physical attractiveness here, but spiritual attractiveness. People should be attracted to our sweet spirit because of the love of Jesus showing through us.

SECONDLY, fruit is sweet and juicy. When you take a bite, it is a pleasant experience. We as Christians need to "taste good" when others make contact with us. In Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit mentioned is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. This is what people should "taste" when they come into contact with us. As these fruits hang from our tree, people will see and therefore "taste" the sweetness of Jesus in us.

THIRDLY, another aspect of fruit is its seed. Inside fruit, you will find seed. We Christians have that seed of life in us because we have been born again and have allowed Jesus to change us into a tree of life. Now when people make contact with us, we have opportunity to give the seed of life through the fruit we bear.

YOU may ask, "How do I ripen my fruit?" The way to ripen your fruit so that it may be eaten by others is through prayer, reading God's word, and coming into His presence through praise and worship. The more you sit in The Son's (Jesus) light, the more your fruit will ripen. Just as fruit comes on trees year after year, don't worry about being used up. God will keep the fruit springing from your tree continually as you continue to dwell in Him.

LEADING people to Jesus is a very wise thing to do, as stated in Proverbs 11:30. You will be successful as you bear juicy, delicious fruit, full of God's seed of life.

Just remember: Be Juicy for Jesus!