Here is encouragement for us all. To all of us, sometimes, our lives
seem barren and poor; and we feel as if we had brought forth no fruit
to perfection. Let us get nearer to Him and He will see to the fruit.
Some poor stranded sea-creature on the beach, vainly floundering in
the pools, is at the point of death; but the great tide comes,
leaping and rushing over the sands, and bears it away out into the
middle deeps for renewed activity and joyous life. Let the flood of
Christ's life bear you on its bosom, and you will rejoice and
expatiate therein.

Here is a lesson of solemn warning to professing Christians. The
lofty mysticism and inward life in Jesus Christ all terminate at last
in simple, practical obedience; and the fruit is the test of the
life. 'Depart from Me, I never knew you, ye that work iniquity.'

And here is a lesson of solemn appeal to us all. Our only opportunity
of bearing any fruit worthy of our natures and of God's purpose
concerning us is by vital union with Jesus Christ. If we have not
that, there may be plenty of activity and mountains of work in our
lives, but there will be no fruit. Only that is fruit which pleases
God and is conformed to His purpose concerning us, and all the rest
of our busy doings is no more the fruit a man should bear than
cankers are roses, or than oak-galls are acorns. They are but the
work of a creeping grub, and diseased excrescences that suck into
themselves the juices that should swell the fruit. Open your hearts
to Christ and let His life and His Spirit come into you, and then you
will have 'your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.'