The Chameleon Effect

John 15:4-5(NIV)

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “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."

When you spend time with someone, you get to know their habits, and if you spend enough time with someone then you begin to copy their habits. This is known as the chameleon effect - we naturally change our behaviour and pick up the habits of those around us.

In the fruit of the Spirit, we essentially find a list of Jesus’ habits. In Jesus we find the perfect presentation of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If ever there were habits to pick up, these are the ones! So how do we do that? How do we pick up these habits of bearing fruit? Jesus gives us the answer in John 15. The key to fruitfulness is closeness to him. Verse 5 in The Message Bible reads, ’When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.’

If we want to produce fruit, then we must be close to Jesus. We must know him and follow him and choose him and love him and listen to him, in order to be like him. We need to be cultivating an active and growing friendship with him. To pick up his habits, we need to be spending time with him, walking with him, listening, and learning from him through the word and prayer, and following his desires and plans.

Jesus makes it very clear - 'no branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.'  We don’t get the fruit without him.

Let’s have the chameleon effect with Jesus, spending so much time with him that we pick up his habits, and bear much fruit in all areas of our lives.

PRAYER - Jesus, help me to know you and love you so deeply that I pick up all your good habits, and produce much fruit.