The Bad Fruit

Just a few days ago I was rummaging through a bag of grapes to see if I could find some that were still fresh. I grabbed the main cluster of grapes and started pulling off the ones that were mushy and bad. It suddenly occurred to me that just as I was removing the sour grapes that made the cluster bad, so our Lord day by day, month by month, year by year purges from our lives the things that do not please Him. This process is called sanctification - the life-long process in which God makes us more like His Son, Jesus Christ. However, if we are constantly fighting God and stopping our ears whenever He convicts us of something in our lives, then we will only make the process harder on ourselves. God will have to break our will until we are on our knees in submission to Him. True joy and satisfaction comes from a life that is submitted to God. Just look at the differences between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit shown in Galatians 5:19-25 and you will see that life to the fullest comes from obedience to God. Look at what Hebrews 12:5-11 says:

"And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening of which all have become partakers, then you are illigitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it"

So keep being submitted to God. He always works in you what is best.