A few years ago, a lovely fruit and vegetable shop opened here in our town. Really amazing, with tasty fresh bread and irresistible pies. I just had to pop in there every morning after a sweat session at the gym and marvel at the beautiful colours and crisp scents.

But something wasn’t working well. The fruit and vegetables never lasted long. What’s the use of buying the special offer of three for the price of one, because if you want to eat number two tomorrow, it was mushy or off? Then you just had to throw number two and three in the bin.

Later I went and told the owner that they could take the monopoly here with their shop. Everyone walked past it, but no, it seemed to me they were buying the fruit and vegetables from the market that had already been marked down, because they were too close to the best-before date.

It doesn’t help to have fruit on the shelf, but you can’t use it.

The Bible also speaks of bearing fruit. As children of the Father, we must bear lovely and juicy fruit in the world for the people who are struggling to survive and are dying of spiritual hunger.

The emphasis is on good fruit. How will people who are in the desert and at their last feel if we arrive there with fruit that has already expired and can no longer be eaten?

This reminds me of my dad’s bonsai trees. The idea of a bonsai is to keep it small while it resembles a big tree. My dad grew all his trees from seeds, and within a few years, the little tree looked just like a big one.

He experimented with many types. The easiest one was the Olea africana, but the Ficus natalensis was my favourite, because he grew it over a stone, so the little tree looked like a big tree growing from a rock.

He once grew a pomegranate tree from seed. It was beautiful, and to our great surprise, once bore one fruit. Such a small pomegranate, but unfortunately, there were no seeds in it, and it had no value to anyone.

We must bear good fruit. We must bear fresh fruit. We must bear fruit that can feed and help people and satisfy their hunger for life. We must bear fruit that makes a difference in the world and feed spiritually dead people. Our fruit must contain seeds that help people live forever.

That’s part of wisdom: ¹⁷Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings …

Scripture
James 3:17-18

Reflection
Are you bearing fruit?
What do they look like?
Where should you share them?

Prayer
Father, I know I must bear fruit, good fresh fruit with lovely seeds. Help me to ensure that the fruit of my actions is good and makes a real difference in Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.