3/25/14

"A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. (Luke 6:43-45 NLT)

How is a tree measured? How is a person measured? How is a heart measured? Fruit. Fruit. Fruit.
I used to like watching Bear Grylls as he tried to show people how to survive in impossible situations. One memorable episode was where he was in the Chihuahua desert, and he needed to find water - bad. So he turned to plants. How do you tell a good plant? By it's fruit. Cactus, although they store water, and a lot of it, mix toxins with it, making it deadly or hallucinogenic. The prickly pear, however, hold a great amount of nutrients and water that a human can survive on. Bear was able to survive.
It is the same with a person. We are judged, and rightly, by how we conduct ourselves, and what comes out of us. Some of us emanate evil, and some emanate good. The true test of a human is their fruit. Jesus calls us to become people of good fruit, and to show off that good fruit by what we say, or, even more importantly, by what we don't say. The tongue can be a dangerous weapon, and can completely ruin our witness for Christ. I struggle with my tongue, and I fear sometimes that I have hurt people and damaged relationships because of it. I need to have better control of what I say, and work on what comes out of my mouth. Jesus calls us to show off our good fruit. That is what we need to do.

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