Organic Fruit

by Stephanie Ismer

The Bible is full of imagery that describes the Christian life as a natural, organic process. It describes Christians as fruit-bearing trees, rivers of living water, born again, and shining like stars. Does your Christian life feel like that? Is it vibrant and real? Or does it feel dead, dry, and dull - something you are struggling to build, brick by painful brick?

This blog is about bearing spiritual fruit that is a peaceful product of God, rather than a painful product of your own effort.

	What does it mean that God is with us? \| Jun 2, 2016 Jesus is Immanuel, or "God with us." What does it mean that God is with us? Is He still with us now that Jesus ascended to heaven? Read more...
	Truth, Style and the Music of Shai Linne \| Aug 15, 2011; Revised Feb 25, 2016 Christian rappers like Shai Linne are talking about God's glory, and rejecting the man-centered musical trends. Should Christian music be about style, or about content? Read more...
	Growing Closer to God \| Jan, 2016 Depend: Do you want to grow closer to God this year? Start by depending on Him. Defend: To know God better, He asks us to join Him in defending the powerless. Cleanse: God is Holy. To know Him better, we must be cleansed of the world. Start Here
	Three Things Every Christian Should Know \| Dec, 2015 Abraham's Faith: How could a man with no law be considered righteous? How Sanctification Works: Who sanctifies us? For what purpose? Who Leads the Church: Is it a pastor or Christ? Start Here
	Faith vs. Works: Is Faith Really All God Requires? \| Nov 10, 2015 What is the relationship between faith, works, and salvation? Do we need to earn salvation? Do we need to work to keep it? Read more...
	Is the God of the Bible true? \| Oct/Nov, 2015 God vs. gods The ancients believed mighty men were the sons of gods. Were they? The Redeemer Job shows that the One True God is also our redeemer. Start Here
	What Makes a Christian a Christian? \| May 2, 2012; Revised Oct 22, 2015 What makes a Christian a Christian? According to the Bible, there is only one thing that makes a person a Christian, and that is faith in Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? Read more...
	What Does it Mean to Be in Love? \| Feb 7, 2012; Revised Oct 12, 2015 Eros is clearly different from the other loves. It stands alone. It must have been created by God to teach us something specific about God. But what? What is the purpose of Eros love? Why did God create it? Read more...
	Is the Bible true? \| Sep/Oct, 2015 An Introduction to The Question The Sheep Hear the Shepherd Words of Eternal Life Start Here
	Hope in Heaven: The Not Yet Perspective \| Mar 13, 2012; Revised Sep 14, 2015 Is it possible to attain satsifaction and joy in this life? How can we be content and peaceful while still acknowledging that this world falls short of ideal? Read more...
	Is There Biblical Evidence for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture? \| Apr 4, 2012; Revised Aug 27, 2015 What are some good arguments for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church? Is there any reason to believe it will happen? Or is the book of Revelation a symbolic text? Should we be looking forward to a rapture? Read more...
	How to Be a Good Christian: Three Easy Steps \| Jun 9, 2011; Revised Aug 18, 2015 When you ask how to be a good Christian, are you asking because you think that being good will get you to Heaven? Only God is good, and His creatures are totally dependent on His goodness for their eternal salvation. Read more...
	Photons Be Free: Free Will vs. Determinism in Star Trek \| Apr 25, 2012; Revised Jun 18, 2015 Free will vs. determinism is an age-old debate. The Doctor on Star Trek Voyager is a character from a future society whose technology gives us a new look into the ins and outs of free will. What exactly is it that makes us free? Read more...
	Ladders and Trees \| Apr 28, 2011; Revised Jun 15, 2015 Tired of trying to climb the ladder? The world has its ideas of success and failure, and some of us just don't measure up. What are God's standards for success? Have we failed in His eyes too? Read more...
	Speaking Truth in Love on the Internet \| Jan 31, 2012; Revised Jun 8, 2015 Speaking the truth in love is sometimes very difficult to do. You want to be bold, but you don't want to cause offense. And when the conversation is online, it gets even more complicated. Read more...
	Changing the Gospel: Behind the Protestant Catholic Conflict \| Jul 7, 2011; Revised Jun 3, 2015 The Protestant Catholic conflict has been in existence for ages. But is there any real reason for it? Don't Catholics and Protestants believe the same thing? When it comes to the gospel, the truth is, they don't. Read more...
	How Could a Loving God Send People to Hell? \| May 16, 2012; Revised May 18, 2015 How can we reconcile God's love with the reality of hell? Many people, believers and non-believers alike, struggle with this question. For many, it is the reason why they feel that God cannot exist. Is there any way to resolve this tricky issue? Read more...
	Jesus Wept: What's behind our emotions? \| May 23, 2011; Revised May 11, 2015 Does it seem strange to you that Jesus wept? Why would the God of the universe allow Himself to feel pain? How should we look at our own emotions, knowing that Jesus, who was sinless, shed tears? Read more...
	You Too Can Learn to Walk on Water! \| Apr 27, 2011; Revised May 3, 2015 Sometimes, as we are following Jesus, He walks on water and we hesitate on the shore. But He has promised to provide a sure place for our feet. Following Him might be scary, but it's always the safest road. Read more...
	Guilt Trip: Freedom from a Guilty Conscience \| Apr, 2015 Guilty Conscience: How can a person escape the feeling and the reality of a guilty conscience? Guilt Trip: Are you tired of feeling guilty and condemned in your walk with God?
	The Bible and Being Gay \| Jan 24, 2012; Revised Apr 13, 2015 What does God really say about homosexuality? This controversial issue offends unbelievers and confuses Christians. But what is the truth? Is being gay a sin according to the Bible? What does the Bible say about being gay? Read more...
	God as Author: What Fiction Tells Us About Free Will \| Mar 6, 2012; Revised Apr 6, 2015 God as author? Analyzing the process of writing a fiction story tells us something about the way God interacts with us, His creatures. Can the characters of a story act in a way that is contrary to their nature? Can we? Read more...
	Timeless: A Picture of Salvation \| Jun 21, 2012; Revised Mar 30, 2015 Salvation means an alternate timeline for those who believe. Jesus Christ died on the cross to take away the consequences of Adam's mistake. No wonder we love stories about temporal paradoxes. Read more...
	Pulled From the Snare: God's Love in Action \| Feb 21, 2012; Revised Mar 25, 2015 God's love is truly a love in action. Both in the Scripture and in our experiences, we can see that God protects us and proactively moves against the things that endanger us. Read more...
	True Friendship: What the Bible Says About Friends \| Mar 18, 2012; Revised Mar 18, 2015 What does it mean to be a good friend? How can we recognize true friendship? And what does the Bible tells us about God's friendship? How is He the truest friend of all? Read more...
	Saints, Sin, and Satan's Mousetrap \| May 13, 2011; Revised Mar 9, 2015 Is right and wrong an archaic idea? Are good and evil simply defined by pleasure and pain? Or is there more to it? Where do we get our definitions of good and evil? Read more...
	Passion, Emotion, and Mr. Spock \| Jan 31, 2012; Revised Mar 3, 2015 What is the difference between passion and emotion? Does controlling one mean eliminating the other? Does God have emotions if He is a spiritual being? Does that mean that emotions are something more than chemical reactions? Read more...
	Was Jesus Tempted the Way We Are Tempted? \| Jan 24, 2012; Revised Feb 25, 2015 What does it mean that Jesus was tempted in the same way that we are tempted? Jesus was sinless, so how could He feel temptation to sin? Was temptation just not painful for Jesus? Was it not as hard for Him to resist? Read more...
	God's Love and the Regretting Soul \| May 19, 2011; Revised Feb 16, 2015 Regretting is painful. Our mistakes and the consequences of those mistakes can haunt us for years. Is there any way to break the pattern of regret? How do we move on? How does God help us? Read more...
	How Would Jesus Love? \| Jun 7, 2012; Revised Feb 9, 2015 What is Jesus' love really like? And when we're asked to love as He loved, do we know what that looks like? Do we understand and feel His love to us, so that we can offer it to others? Read more...
	God is a Firefighter \| Jun 8, 2012; Revised Feb 2, 2015 How is God like a firefighter? Watching the fires in Colorado, we started to see herds of frightened deer and rabbits running past our houses, and soon frightened evacuees were running into the arms of friends on the East side. Read more...
	The Doctrine of Purgatory \| Jul 11, 2011; Revised Jan 26, 2015 Catholics assume that the doctrine of purgatory is true, but the Bible says that all our sins are eliminated on the cross. What was the point of Jesus' death if we have to continue to pay for our sins after we die? Read more...
	Contentment and the Consumer \| Feb 21, 2012; Revised Jan 19, 2015 Sometimes it can feel like contentment is totally out of reach. What does it mean to be content? Can a human being truly find happiness in this life? What does the Bible say about contentment? Is the world's way of finding happiness viable? Read more...
	Ich und Du: Why Loyalty Trumps Compatibility in Marriage \| Jan 7, 2012; Revised Jan 14, 2015 How important is compatibility in a marriage? What does it mean to have an "I and You" relationship? What if you and your spouse are not compatible at all? Is bailing out the best option? Read more...
	When was Jesus born? \| Dec 22, 2014 What year was Jesus born? Was Jesus really born on 1 A.D.? Or was He born earlier? Read more...

Image: Brian Hoffman; "Fruit and Veggies"; Creative Commons

	What does it mean that God is with us? \| Jun 2, 2016 Jesus is Immanuel, or "God with us." What does it mean that God is with us? Is He still with us now that Jesus ascended to heaven? Read more...
	Truth, Style and the Music of Shai Linne \| Aug 15, 2011; Revised Feb 25, 2016 Christian rappers like Shai Linne are talking about God's glory, and rejecting the man-centered musical trends. Should Christian music be about style, or about content? Read more...
	Growing Closer to God \| Jan, 2016 Depend: Do you want to grow closer to God this year? Start by depending on Him. Defend: To know God better, He asks us to join Him in defending the powerless. Cleanse: God is Holy. To know Him better, we must be cleansed of the world. Start Here
	Three Things Every Christian Should Know \| Dec, 2015 Abraham's Faith: How could a man with no law be considered righteous? How Sanctification Works: Who sanctifies us? For what purpose? Who Leads the Church: Is it a pastor or Christ? Start Here
	Faith vs. Works: Is Faith Really All God Requires? \| Nov 10, 2015 What is the relationship between faith, works, and salvation? Do we need to earn salvation? Do we need to work to keep it? Read more...
	Is the God of the Bible true? \| Oct/Nov, 2015 God vs. gods The ancients believed mighty men were the sons of gods. Were they? The Redeemer Job shows that the One True God is also our redeemer. Start Here
	What Makes a Christian a Christian? \| May 2, 2012; Revised Oct 22, 2015 What makes a Christian a Christian? According to the Bible, there is only one thing that makes a person a Christian, and that is faith in Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? Read more...
	What Does it Mean to Be in Love? \| Feb 7, 2012; Revised Oct 12, 2015 Eros is clearly different from the other loves. It stands alone. It must have been created by God to teach us something specific about God. But what? What is the purpose of Eros love? Why did God create it? Read more...
	Is the Bible true? \| Sep/Oct, 2015 An Introduction to The Question The Sheep Hear the Shepherd Words of Eternal Life Start Here
	Hope in Heaven: The Not Yet Perspective \| Mar 13, 2012; Revised Sep 14, 2015 Is it possible to attain satsifaction and joy in this life? How can we be content and peaceful while still acknowledging that this world falls short of ideal? Read more...
	Is There Biblical Evidence for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture? \| Apr 4, 2012; Revised Aug 27, 2015 What are some good arguments for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church? Is there any reason to believe it will happen? Or is the book of Revelation a symbolic text? Should we be looking forward to a rapture? Read more...
	How to Be a Good Christian: Three Easy Steps \| Jun 9, 2011; Revised Aug 18, 2015 When you ask how to be a good Christian, are you asking because you think that being good will get you to Heaven? Only God is good, and His creatures are totally dependent on His goodness for their eternal salvation. Read more...
	Photons Be Free: Free Will vs. Determinism in Star Trek \| Apr 25, 2012; Revised Jun 18, 2015 Free will vs. determinism is an age-old debate. The Doctor on Star Trek Voyager is a character from a future society whose technology gives us a new look into the ins and outs of free will. What exactly is it that makes us free? Read more...
	Ladders and Trees \| Apr 28, 2011; Revised Jun 15, 2015 Tired of trying to climb the ladder? The world has its ideas of success and failure, and some of us just don't measure up. What are God's standards for success? Have we failed in His eyes too? Read more...
	Speaking Truth in Love on the Internet \| Jan 31, 2012; Revised Jun 8, 2015 Speaking the truth in love is sometimes very difficult to do. You want to be bold, but you don't want to cause offense. And when the conversation is online, it gets even more complicated. Read more...
	Changing the Gospel: Behind the Protestant Catholic Conflict \| Jul 7, 2011; Revised Jun 3, 2015 The Protestant Catholic conflict has been in existence for ages. But is there any real reason for it? Don't Catholics and Protestants believe the same thing? When it comes to the gospel, the truth is, they don't. Read more...
	How Could a Loving God Send People to Hell? \| May 16, 2012; Revised May 18, 2015 How can we reconcile God's love with the reality of hell? Many people, believers and non-believers alike, struggle with this question. For many, it is the reason why they feel that God cannot exist. Is there any way to resolve this tricky issue? Read more...
	Jesus Wept: What's behind our emotions? \| May 23, 2011; Revised May 11, 2015 Does it seem strange to you that Jesus wept? Why would the God of the universe allow Himself to feel pain? How should we look at our own emotions, knowing that Jesus, who was sinless, shed tears? Read more...
	You Too Can Learn to Walk on Water! \| Apr 27, 2011; Revised May 3, 2015 Sometimes, as we are following Jesus, He walks on water and we hesitate on the shore. But He has promised to provide a sure place for our feet. Following Him might be scary, but it's always the safest road. Read more...
	Guilt Trip: Freedom from a Guilty Conscience \| Apr, 2015 Guilty Conscience: How can a person escape the feeling and the reality of a guilty conscience? Guilt Trip: Are you tired of feeling guilty and condemned in your walk with God?
	The Bible and Being Gay \| Jan 24, 2012; Revised Apr 13, 2015 What does God really say about homosexuality? This controversial issue offends unbelievers and confuses Christians. But what is the truth? Is being gay a sin according to the Bible? What does the Bible say about being gay? Read more...
	God as Author: What Fiction Tells Us About Free Will \| Mar 6, 2012; Revised Apr 6, 2015 God as author? Analyzing the process of writing a fiction story tells us something about the way God interacts with us, His creatures. Can the characters of a story act in a way that is contrary to their nature? Can we? Read more...
	Timeless: A Picture of Salvation \| Jun 21, 2012; Revised Mar 30, 2015 Salvation means an alternate timeline for those who believe. Jesus Christ died on the cross to take away the consequences of Adam's mistake. No wonder we love stories about temporal paradoxes. Read more...
	Pulled From the Snare: God's Love in Action \| Feb 21, 2012; Revised Mar 25, 2015 God's love is truly a love in action. Both in the Scripture and in our experiences, we can see that God protects us and proactively moves against the things that endanger us. Read more...
	True Friendship: What the Bible Says About Friends \| Mar 18, 2012; Revised Mar 18, 2015 What does it mean to be a good friend? How can we recognize true friendship? And what does the Bible tells us about God's friendship? How is He the truest friend of all? Read more...
	Saints, Sin, and Satan's Mousetrap \| May 13, 2011; Revised Mar 9, 2015 Is right and wrong an archaic idea? Are good and evil simply defined by pleasure and pain? Or is there more to it? Where do we get our definitions of good and evil? Read more...
	Passion, Emotion, and Mr. Spock \| Jan 31, 2012; Revised Mar 3, 2015 What is the difference between passion and emotion? Does controlling one mean eliminating the other? Does God have emotions if He is a spiritual being? Does that mean that emotions are something more than chemical reactions? Read more...
	Was Jesus Tempted the Way We Are Tempted? \| Jan 24, 2012; Revised Feb 25, 2015 What does it mean that Jesus was tempted in the same way that we are tempted? Jesus was sinless, so how could He feel temptation to sin? Was temptation just not painful for Jesus? Was it not as hard for Him to resist? Read more...
	God's Love and the Regretting Soul \| May 19, 2011; Revised Feb 16, 2015 Regretting is painful. Our mistakes and the consequences of those mistakes can haunt us for years. Is there any way to break the pattern of regret? How do we move on? How does God help us? Read more...
	How Would Jesus Love? \| Jun 7, 2012; Revised Feb 9, 2015 What is Jesus' love really like? And when we're asked to love as He loved, do we know what that looks like? Do we understand and feel His love to us, so that we can offer it to others? Read more...
	God is a Firefighter \| Jun 8, 2012; Revised Feb 2, 2015 How is God like a firefighter? Watching the fires in Colorado, we started to see herds of frightened deer and rabbits running past our houses, and soon frightened evacuees were running into the arms of friends on the East side. Read more...
	The Doctrine of Purgatory \| Jul 11, 2011; Revised Jan 26, 2015 Catholics assume that the doctrine of purgatory is true, but the Bible says that all our sins are eliminated on the cross. What was the point of Jesus' death if we have to continue to pay for our sins after we die? Read more...
	Contentment and the Consumer \| Feb 21, 2012; Revised Jan 19, 2015 Sometimes it can feel like contentment is totally out of reach. What does it mean to be content? Can a human being truly find happiness in this life? What does the Bible say about contentment? Is the world's way of finding happiness viable? Read more...
	Ich und Du: Why Loyalty Trumps Compatibility in Marriage \| Jan 7, 2012; Revised Jan 14, 2015 How important is compatibility in a marriage? What does it mean to have an "I and You" relationship? What if you and your spouse are not compatible at all? Is bailing out the best option? Read more...
	When was Jesus born? \| Dec 22, 2014 What year was Jesus born? Was Jesus really born on 1 A.D.? Or was He born earlier? Read more...