“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

Luke 8:15

Who doesn’t love a good campfire? There’s something about starting a bonfire — not just a manly pursuit, but a primal touchpoint, a visceral return to something older than civilization. Years ago, on a group camping trip, I watched an Eagle Scout start our fire with one match. It normally takes me three fire starters and a half ream of old paper.

Cooking over a fire tastes better. Roasting marshmallows with my kids is memory making gold. And the stories, the laughter, and the conversations do more than pass the time—they instill identity, solidify connections, and add ballast to your life so you don’t capsize when the storms come.

I get lost staring into the dancing tongues of fire. It is one of the places, when I sit in solitude by a fire, where I meditate, pray, and get lost in the presence of God.

I love fires. And I love that one of the images we have of the Holy Spirit is the tongues of fire of Pentecost.

You know what you need for a good fire? Wood.

We have plenty at our house. Thanks to a dying tree and some big storms. This past spring we took a quick trip to Florida for Spring break. I returned home to find a giant limb stuck on my fence. The tree that deposited it there has been dying for a couple of years. At times it looked like it might pull through. Today, it looks like a a vertical log waiting for its inevitable collapse. I need to get my chainsaw out and take care of it. That, and a 1,000 other projects.

The tree right next to my vertical firewood is thriving. It’s full and vibrant. Perhaps it is enjoying the nutrients that its neighbor no longer needs, soaking in the sun that passes by and through its leafless friend. More likely, the root system of the thriving tree is healthy and the dead tree’s roots are not. I’m certainly no arborist. Regardless, it begs this question.

Is the tree dead because it no longer bears fruit or does it no longer bear fruit because it is dead?

A subtle difference, but an important one.

This Maple tree is dead, and therefore it no longer bears fruit. The fruit, in this case the paired samaras (those winged helicopter seeds that fall from the tree), and the leaves are no longer present. To state the obvious, not bearing fruit is a symptom of being dead. Healthy trees produce fruit. They are productive, useful, and there is evidence of their health. There is equally evidence of the lack of health when things have turned south.

The same is true of our life of faith.

Because faith is a mystery and it is the work of God—it is nearly impossible to quantify it. For yourself and especially for someone else. How do you articulate the depth of your faith in measurable ways? How do you speak to the genuineness of another’s faith? The only time that Jesus quantifies faith in scripture is by comparing it to the size of a mustard seed. Clearly, measuring faith is a red herring.

In the same breathe, however, fruitfulness is something that we can see. How many scriptures speak to the importance of bearing fruit? Another way this has been said is this. If you were on trial for being a Christian—what would the evidence be that would convict you?

To be clear, faith is a work of God that takes place in your heart. But, how does the world know that this work has taken place? By the fruit of your life.

Martin Luther once said, “Our faith must be active in love. Love is the fruit that proves that faith is alive.”

How would things be different in your home if there was an abundance of fruit that was being produced? Your neighborhood? Your church? Your community?

Which tree are you more like today? The one that is vertical firewood? Or the one that is vibrant and alive?

To be clear, it is God’s work that makes you grow. He is the one that nourishes, feeds, and blesses you. He does this through His Word, through the holy meal, in the waters of baptism and the gifts of the called and gathered community of faith. It is God’s work—always. And, at the same time, leaning further into this—believing His Word and putting it to use in your life—this is the miracle grow that makes you fruitful.

May the fruit of love flourish in you this week. Spread joy, light, and goodness. Bear fruit, for this is the most beautiful sign of the life that is at work within you.

What is the fruit you see in some of the people you love?