The Fruit of Repentance

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
Luke 3:8 (NIV)

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I love hydrangeas, especially Endless Summer hydrangeas with big blue blooms. I loved them as a child when they bloomed in my grandmother's yard. I loved them even more after one very special Mother's Day about 20 years ago. That particular year our money was really tight. We had our oldest child in college with another child coming right behind her. When Bruce asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day that year, I replied, "A blue hydrangea. I want a blue hydrangea." Much to my dismay, Bruce came home with not one hydrangea, but six blue hydrangeas! At the time I thought Bruce was crazy because it was such an extravagant gift.  But those six hydrangeas began our annual love affair with hydrangeas. Over the years, Bruce mastered the ins and outs of hydrangea gardening, the right amount of shade and sunlight; the best soil conditions; the right amount of fertilizer and water; and when to prune the bushes. Bruce eventually mastered rooting some of the original hydrangeas and we planted even more. Along the way we branched out and planted different hydrangea varieties and colors. Our hydrangeas always began blooming in May and one year I had hydrangeas still on the vines in November! We cut the last hydrangeas and took them to our church for use in the Christmas at the Caroline House event. 

Some years every vase I owned was full with hydrangeas or roses. We shared them for wedding arrangements, teas, Flower Guild assignments, and with friends. Those hydrangeas brought me such joy, not just because they were beautiful, but because they were fruitful. They multiplied. And the more they multiplied, the more joy I experienced. My hydrangeas truly were the gift that kept on giving. And they didn't just give blooms; they brought me joy.

But not this year. Last year's drought took its toll, not just on our hydrangea blooms, but the plants themselves. I only have one blue Endless Summer hydrangea bloom in my entire yard thanks to drought damage. Hydrangeas require lots of water and a lack of water adversely affects not just the fruit, but also the root of the plant. Some of our hydrangea bushes died completely, while the rest of them have green leaves, but no blooms. My once beautiful hydrangeas are barren. Needless to say, despite Bruce's promise that we will plant more hydrangeas, I have grieved the loss. The whole purpose of the hydrangeas was to produce fruit, not leaves.

It turns out that fruit bearing is also really important to God. Jesus in one of his last discourses to his disciples said, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit." (John 15:8) John the Baptist in preparing people for the coming Messiah challenged his listeners to "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Luke 3:8) Fruit for a hydrangea is a big blooming flower. But what is the fruit of repentance?

Author Terry Johnson writing in his wonderful book The Parables of Jesus recommends using the following questions to evaluate our personal fruit of repentance:

  • Is God getting a return on His investment in me?

  • Have I turned from the pursuit of sin?

  • Have I cultivated a loathing of evil and a hunger & thirst for righteousness?

  • Have I developed a hunger for the Word of God, the people of God, and the worship of God?

  • Am I pursuing holiness?

  • Do I have a zeal for good works? (not to earn my salvation but in grateful response to God's grace)

  • Am I characterized by love in my dealings with my neighbors?

  • For what or Whom am I living?

Johnson summarizes his definition of the fruit of repentance by saying, "True life is found in serving, pleasing, honoring, glorifying God and making Him known. This is the fruit that Jesus seeks."

I can't produce one hydrangea bloom by myself. I can plant, prune, weed, and feed, but God is the One who gives the growth. In the same way, we can't produce the fruit of repentance apart from Christ. Jesus reminds us that "apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) But Jesus doesn't stop there. Instead He promises us that "If we remain in Him and He in us, we WILL bear much fruit" and that fruit will be for God's glory. (John 15:8)

Are we producing the fruit of repentance? If not, what needs to change in our lives in order to do so? May each of us produce fruit in keeping with repentance.