[boatbums]

‘Fruit’... by the Spirit in the Life of a Christian: The Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree!.... For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only *tied* on,... whereas fruit *grows* on a fruit-tree.

In other words, Christian holiness is not an artificial human accretion, but a natural process of fruit-bearing by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks! I like that it is so demonstrably true. When the "holidays" (holy days) are over and the pretty tree wilts and the ornaments crack and fade, the lights die out and the tinsel breaks, how fruitful is the tree? Whereas, a good tree bears real fruit that comes from within and does not need to be added on to make it appealing. An extra thought I get from this is that fruit must ripen to be edible. Our good works that come from a heart change directed by the presence of the Holy Spirit are the kinds of fruits that nourish and produce seeds so that other trees may grow. Just like when we lead another to Christ, we are helping to plant another good tree so that more fruit is produced. I love the parables of our Lord and the sometimes endless analogies we can glean from them.

[metmom]

Psalm 1

1Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.