When you fulfill these verses in John 15, God is glorified.
When you recognize His Son as the true vine, God is glorified.
When you accept your place as a branch on God's family tree, God is glorified.
When you bear much fruit in your life, God is glorified.
When you abide in Him, God is glorified.
When His Word abides in you, God is glorified.
When you ask what you will, God is glorified.
When He does it for you, God is glorified.
Then, God says, when these things have happened you have become a disciple of Jesus. It is by your fruit that you are seen by Him and by others as His disciple. Only by your fruit can you be known as a disciple of Christ.
The inner attributes of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and the good works you do because these things are flowing in your life prove that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I think of my fruit as how I think, what I do and how I act. If I am a good witness for Jesus, if I speak the Word and people come to the knowledge of Christ as a result, then I am bearing good fruit and glorifying my Father in heaven.
To me, souls won for the kingdom are the number-one sign of good fruit. I'm dedicated to this evangelistic ministry. It is my life. It is what I live for. I believe that telling others about Jesus or showing others how to get the most out of their relationship with God proves that I've got love in my heart for other people.
But I also think that just spreading the joy of the Lord to others is bearing fruit too. If I have patience with my wife, I get excited! Why? Because I'm bearing fruit! If I am gentle with someone and don't tear him down on account of a weakness he might have, then I'm bearing fruit! Whatever I do that is good, whatever I say or think that is good, I consider to be the fruit of my life.
The fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 talks about could be considered attributes of your Maker, God. And without His presence in your life, you can't get them. You could try to fake love, joy, peace and so forth. But without God, those fruits of the Spirit can't really exist in your life.
Only the Lord can produce fruit in your life. Only you can draw close enough to Him and put His Word in your heart to receive them. When you have the fruit of the Spirit in your life, good works will flow from you freely. People will know you by your fruit. How can you tell you're bearing fruit?
When you show love to yourself and others, you are bearing fruit.
When you are joyful and spread joy to others, you are bearing fruit.
When you are longsuffering, or patient, with yourself and others, you are bearing fruit.
When you act gently with yourself and others, you are bearing fruit.
When you "do good," "think good" and "talk good" about yourself and others, you are bearing fruit.
When you have faith in God and in His ability and will to perform His Word, you are bearing fruit.
God is glorified when you choose not to limit Him and not to limit yourself. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13).
You can have the fruit of the Spirit working in your life. You can do good works and live your life with a clean conscience, knowing that you are living your life as God would have you live it. And how is that? In love.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers