The fruit of morality …
Not in the Bible. God doesn’t talk about it. Do you wonder why?
Shouldn’t we?
I mean, if we are going to preach morals and morality, then shouldn’t it cross our minds that maybe this requires a little more (or some) thought?
Or maybe we could just do a Stooges’ “whoop, whoop, whoop” and slap our chest.
What God does talk about in his holy book – the Bible – is “the fruit of righteousness.”
Read the following and let the rain of God’s words refresh your soul.
- Philippians 1:9–11 (NIV) And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
- Proverbs 11:30 (NIV) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
- Isaiah 32:17 (NIV) The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
- Hosea 10:12 (NIV) Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.
- Hebrews 12:11 (NAS) All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
- James 3:17–18 (NAS) But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
God speaks of righteousness and he speaks of peace, mercy, gentleness, reason, quietness, confidence, life, glory and praise to God.
Not the moral battle cry of the self-righteous, but the confidence of a servant farmer sowing seeds of peace and righteousness in the name of the King.
