The Proof of the Pudding Is in the Eating

By Pastor Brad Holliman

Have you ever heard the old Southern saying, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”?

It’s something my mama used to say. The meaning is simple: You can spend hours describing how delicious something is, explaining the ingredients and how carefully it was prepared, but one bite tells the whole story.

The proof isn’t in the recipe. It’s in the experience.

And there’s a powerful spiritual truth hidden in that old saying.

As believers, we can talk about the goodness of God, quote Scripture, and explain what it means to be born again. But ultimately, the greatest evidence of God’s transforming power is the life of Christ being demonstrated through us.

One experience of God’s life expressed through you can speak louder than hours of explanation.

The Proof Is in the Living

In 2 Corinthians 6, the apostle Paul describes what authentic Christian ministry looks like.

He doesn’t begin by listing impressive accomplishments, powerful sermons, or spiritual experiences. Instead, he describes hardships, difficulties, opposition, and suffering.

Then he writes:

“We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.” (2 Corinthians 6:6, paraphrased)

Notice that word: prove.

Paul understood that the reality of Christ within us becomes evident through the way we live, particularly when circumstances aren’t favorable.

It’s easy to talk about patience when nobody is testing it. It’s easy to talk about peace when everything is going according to plan. And it’s easy to talk about love when everyone is treating us well.

But what happens when the pressure increases?

That’s when the proof becomes evident.

You Can’t Have the Pudding Without the Pot

Here’s something we don’t always like to hear: You can’t have the pudding without the pot!

The cooking process is essential. Heat transforms the ingredients into something that can be enjoyed.

In much the same way, life’s challenges provide opportunities for the fruit of our new nature to become visible.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean we never encounter difficulties.

There’s an old illustration about riding in a buckboard wagon down a rough country road. When the wagon hits a deep rut, the jolt can send someone flying out of their seat.

Christianity doesn’t necessarily remove the ruts and bumps from the road. But it gives us the ability to remain seated through them!

The difference isn’t always what’s happening around us. It’s the life that’s operating within us.

Our circumstances don’t have to determine our response. Our new nature in Christ can.

Not All Hot Water Comes From the Same Source

Of course, it’s important to recognize that not every difficulty we face has the same cause.

Sometimes we’re experiencing opposition because we’re doing what’s right. Other times, we’re dealing with the consequences of our own decisions.

And sometimes, if we’re willing to admit it, we’re the ones who started the fire!

Peter makes this distinction clear in 1 Peter 2:18–20 and 4:14–16.

There is a difference between suffering for righteousness and suffering because we’ve made poor choices, interfered in someone else’s affairs, or acted unwisely.

Recognizing that difference requires humility and honesty.

But regardless of how we ended up in a difficult situation, we still have a choice about how we respond.

We can react from frustration, fear, and self-preservation, or we can draw upon the life of God within us.

Even when we need to take responsibility for our mistakes, we can respond with humility, patience, and wisdom.

The Fruit Is Already in Your Nature

Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit:

“Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

We often read this passage as a list of qualities we need to work harder to develop.

But consider what Peter tells us:

“You may be partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4)

When you were born again, you received a new nature.

The fruit of the Spirit isn’t something you have to manufacture through sheer determination. It’s the expression of the life of God within you.

Think about an apple tree.

You don’t have to stand beside it and shout, “Produce apples! Try harder!”

An apple tree produces apples because that’s its nature.

The same principle applies spiritually.

As we remain rooted in God’s Word and yield to the Holy Spirit, the fruit of our new nature becomes evident.

We aren’t trying to become something we’re not. We’re learning to live from who we’ve already become in Christ.

Even Compost Can Produce Something Beautiful

Here’s another picture worth considering.

Compost isn’t particularly attractive. It can smell terrible, and it’s made from things most people would rather throw away.

Yet when compost is added to healthy soil, it can contribute to the growth and fruitfulness of a tree.

Life’s challenges can work in a similar way.

The difficult relationship, the unexpected disappointment, the frustrating delay, or the pressure-filled season doesn’t have to destroy your peace.

Instead, those circumstances can become opportunities for the life of God within you to be expressed.

Perhaps this is a season when patience has an opportunity to emerge.

Perhaps it’s a season for joy to shine in the middle of discouragement.

Or perhaps it’s a season when supernatural peace becomes evident in circumstances that would normally produce panic.

The challenge isn’t the fruit. It’s an opportunity for the fruit to be revealed.

A Tree That Bears Fruit in Its Season

Psalm 1 gives us a beautiful picture of a fruitful life.

The person who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on His Word day and night is described as:

“A tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season.” (Psalm 1:3)

Notice that phrase: in his season.

Different seasons provide opportunities for different fruit to become evident.

When someone treats you unfairly, patience and kindness have an opportunity to shine.

When your circumstances are uncertain, faithfulness and peace can become visible.

When life seems overwhelming, joy and self-control can demonstrate that you’re living from a higher reality.

But Psalm 1 also reveals the importance of what we’re feeding our hearts.

The passage begins by warning against walking in ungodly counsel, standing in the way of sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful.

Instead, we’re encouraged to delight in God’s Word and meditate on it continually.

What we meditate on influences how we respond.

When we’re rooted in the Word, we’re better positioned to draw from the life of God within us when challenges come.

Peace in the Middle of the Storm

Remember the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat during a storm?

The disciples were terrified. The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, and everything around them suggested disaster.

But Jesus was asleep.

He wasn’t controlled by the chaos around Him.

What a beautiful picture of the peace available to us!

Imagine facing a situation that would normally send you into panic, yet finding yourself resting in the goodness and faithfulness of God.

That’s not denial. That’s confidence in a greater reality.

The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, and we can learn to respond from His life rather than being ruled by our circumstances.

Let Your Life Be the Evidence

So what happens the next time the heat gets turned up?

Instead of immediately asking, “Why is this happening to me?” perhaps we can begin asking a different question:

“What fruit has an opportunity to be revealed through me right now?”

What if we approached difficult circumstances with an expectation that God’s life could become more visible through them?

This week, take time to read Galatians 5. Meditate on the fruit of the Spirit, not merely as a list of behaviors to achieve, but as an expression of the nature you’ve received in Christ.

Then, when challenges arise, remember:

• You don’t have to be controlled by your circumstances.
• You can respond from the life of God within you.
• Every season presents opportunities for spiritual fruitfulness.
• Your response can become a testimony of God’s goodness to others.

The world doesn’t simply need more explanations about Christianity.

It needs to encounter the life of Christ through people who know who they are in Him.

You were born again to bear fruit.

Let your patience, kindness, love, joy, and peace become the evidence of His transforming power.

After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating!

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