“Made with real fruit.” “Bursting with fruity flavor.” “Fruit in every bite.” Advertising slogans repeatedly reveal this simple truth: fruitfulness is inherently attractive and compelling. We love to hear, “Come where the fruit is!”

What do we make of this fruit-filled observation? And what might it teach us about James’ description of wisdom as “full of good fruits” (Jas. 3:17)? Perhaps we could say this: Like the luscious fruit stand by the road, the life of wisdom is to be inherently fruitful and desirable.

A connection to Proverbs helps draw out the fruit-laden desirability of wisdom to which James calls us. Proverbs often connects wisdom and fruit (see Prov. 8:19; 12:12, 14; 27:18; 31:16, 31). Perhaps most strikingly, Proverbs connects wisdom and fruit to the tree of life itself. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life” (Prov. 11:30; see also Prov. 3:18; 13:12; 15:4).

Remember that tree in the Garden of Eden? The tree of life represented the full vitality, prosperity, and fruitfulness of the life God created for mankind. Or maybe you remember the tree of life showing up in Revelation (Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19). Scripture concludes with vitality and fruitfulness restored—all signified by the fruitful tree of life!

But now consider the tree of life in Proverbs and its fruitfulness. Proverbs presents the tree of life, not as a dream of time gone by in Eden, nor as simply our hope for future life when Christ returns. In Proverbs, the fruitful tree of life can be ours now.

Our wise life is an experience of the fruit of the tree of life. Catching the image here is crucial. Who doesn’t love a restaurant that offers you their delicious rolls or another appetizer when you arrive? These taste tests or appetizers nourish you while letting you know how delicious the full meal will soon be.

For the Christian, the believer’s life of wisdom and fruitfulness produces the taste test or appetizer of the eternal meal of the tree of life. “The fruit of the righteous” (Prov. 11:30) is the firstfruits of the eternal life of fruitfulness yet to be.

Thus, my life of wisdom is to bear the taste test of the fruit, the evidence of God’s fruitful plan, to a watching world. I am to be “full of good fruits” (Jas. 3:17).

What should our tree-of-life, fruit-bearing lives of righteous wisdom look like?

Our life of fruitfulness is to be a compelling, attractive, glorious life. A flourishing fruit tree is not simply nutritional or functional. It is beautiful, compelling, and rich. Too often, believers see the life of wisdom as ordinary, abstract, perhaps even drab. And maybe we live lives that give reason for that description.

But we must see the life of wisdom from God’s perspective. For His children, God desires tree-of-life vitality and nourishing fruitfulness. In Christ, do you see your life that way? What patterns of wisdom would display the vitality of the tree of life?

Our life of fruitfulness is to be abundant. An apple tree that produces just one apple—no matter how beautiful that apple might be—is not a successful tree. So it is with the life of wisdom. It must not have just a fruit or two, but instead be “full of good fruits.” I love those people in my life who seem to abound with good fruits day after day. I taste a bit of the tree of life whenever I’m around them. Such fruitfulness is the model of Christian wisdom for each of us.

Our life of fruitfulness comes through Christ alone. None of us can plant the tree of life. In fact, on our own, we are in Adam, who forsook the tree of life (Gen. 3:24). Instead, we must be cast on Christ, who endured the tree of death (Gal. 3:13) that we might return to the tree of life. May all our hope be on Jesus, all our fruit be from Jesus, and our wise lives of good fruit be lived to the glory of Jesus.