In Genesis 1:11, we read:
“Then God said, ‘Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.’ And that is what happened.”
From the very beginning, God designed creation to reproduce. Each seed produced after its kind. Orange seeds produced oranges. Apple seeds produced apples. There was no striving, no confusion. Fruitfulness wasn’t a suggestion; it was built into the very fabric of creation. And God looked at it and called it good.
Later in the chapter, we see the same principle applied to humanity. In verse 27, Scripture says:
“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it…'”
Just like the plants and trees, you and I were created to be fruitful. But for us, fruitfulness isn’t only biological. It’s spiritual, relational, and generational. We were designed to reflect the image of God and to multiply that image in the earth.
Fruitfulness Is Not Performance
This is where many people get it wrong. We treat fruitfulness as performance – as if it depends on our striving, achievements, or image management. But Genesis gives us a different picture.
Plants don’t stress to bear fruit. They simply stay rooted, nourished, and aligned with their source. In the same way, humans bear fruit by staying rooted in their Source – God Himself. The kind of fruit we produce depends entirely on the source we’re connected to.
This is why Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Fruit isn’t manufactured; it’s the natural product of alignment.
The Pattern for Fruitfulness
Genesis 2 shows us how this design works in practice. God placed Adam in the garden and gave him four instructions:
- Cultivate the garden → Develop what God entrusted.
- Keep the garden → Protect what God entrusted.
- Eat from every tree, including the tree of life → Live from God as your source (Scripture makes it clear that this is Jesus Christ – Rev. 2:7, Rev. 22:14)
- Resist the tree of the knowledge of good and evil → Refuse to define life apart from God.
This pattern hasn’t changed. Our fruitfulness still flows from what we cultivate, what we guard, and what we resist. Which brings us to an important truth about the fruit we’re all producing.
Everyone Bears Fruit – The Question Is, Which Kind?
Here’s the sobering truth: everyone is bearing fruit. It’s not a question of if you’re fruitful, but what kind of fruit you’re producing.
Jesus makes this plain in Matthew 7:17-18: “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.”
This is where the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13) comes into play. Both wheat and tares grow. Both look similar at first. But one produces life-giving grain, while the other is a weed, a counterfeit fruit that chokes the wheat and is destined for burning.
So yes, everyone is bearing fruit. The only question is: does it reflect God, or does it not?
The Call
Fruitfulness is not performance; it’s design. But design doesn’t remove responsibility; rather, it gives us a choice.
If we remain rooted in God, His image multiplies in us and through us. If we align with the world, the flesh, or counterfeit systems, we still bear fruit, but it will be fruit that does not reflect Him.
This applies to every area of life – especially relationships. If you want a fruitful marriage, it must follow God’s pattern. One look at the world around us answers that question: most relationships are producing some kind of fruit, but is it the kind that reflects God’s design?
Paul echoes this in Galatians 5, contrasting the “works of the flesh” with the “fruit of the Spirit.” Both are fruits. Both are evidence of what kind of tree you are.
So the call is simple but weighty: stay rooted in the right Source. Cultivate what God has given you. Keep it with diligence. Resist what would draw you away. Whether you realize it or not, your life is producing fruit; the question is, wheat or tares?
As always, I’m rooting for you!
