As the year end approaches, for some reason, busyness creeps into our lives. When we allow ourselves to be so busy we don’t spend time with the Lord to get refreshed and then our behavior changes. I call our behavior the fruit we produce in our lives. Today I want to share a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that reminds us to check the fruit we produce on a daily basis. I hope this helps you as it helped me today.

What Kind of Fruit Are You Producing?
# 86
Matthew 7:17 (NLT)
A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit.

The Bible warns us about false prophets who look like sheep but are really wolves. It teaches us we will know and identify them by observing how they act—by their fruit.

Verse 20 tells us, “the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.” Even though these verses refer to false prophets, we can also apply the same principle to our daily lives. The question today is: what kind of fruit are you producing in your life?

I examine myself often to see what kind of fruit I’m producing. I find the results very predictable. When I’m not spending enough time with the Lord and I allow the busyness of life to overtake me, my fruit is not good. In those times, I produce fruits of anger, short temper, impatience, irritability, and unhappiness, to name a few. On the other hand, when I spend time with the Lord, water my tree with His Word, mediate on Him, and obey what He asks me to do, I produce good fruit. Instead of anger and short temper, I have compassion. Instead of impatience, irritability, and unhappiness, there is grace, contentment, patience, and happiness. I also produce fruit of peace amongst the people I’m around.

Therefore, don’t let the busyness of life with the work demands and family commitments rob you of spending time with the Lord. It is the only way you will produce good fruit and help those around you. Remember, the fruit you produce is for others to partake of.