In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. Matthew 17:17-19 HCSB
Jesus warns against judging the sins of others, but here he tells us we will know them by their fruit. We all sin. It’s hard for us to judge the sins of others when sinning is something we are all guilty of (Romans 4:23).
Fruit, however, is what is produced by our beliefs. It’s the way we live our day-to-day lives. It’s what is rooted in our hearts. We are told in 1 Samuel 16:7 that God doesn’t look at the outward appearance but sees the heart.
While we may not know what is in a man’s heart, we do know that out of an abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). Eventually a person’s true colors will be exposed by what comes from their mouth. Our words and our deeds are our fruit. We will either produce good fruit or bad fruit.
We’ve been speaking of the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is what is produced when we walk in the Spirit and do our best to not gratify the desires of the flesh. Three components of the fruit are patience, kindness, and goodness. I will admit that patience is something I still work on daily. I have to practice patience.
I am doing my best to develop kindness and goodness. I find it easy to be kind and good to those who are kind and good to me, but I sometimes still struggle with those who are not so kind or so good.
I haven’t found anything in the Bible that says we should only exhibit the fruit of the Spirit to good, kind, patient people. On the contrary, we are told to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us in Matthew 5:44 and Jesus goes on to say in verse 46, “For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?”
Patience goes hand in hand with goodness and kindness. While I struggle with being patient, I have to stop and think of how long God was patient with me. I think of how He must have been so frustrated with my behavior. I think of how long He waited for me to come to my senses and surrender to Him. Because He has been so patient with me, it helps me to develop patience with others.
When I am more patient, I can show goodness and treat others with kindness. Patience, goodness, and kindness show love for others. They also give us peace and joy and believe me peace and joy show. This shows a good healthy tree producing good fruit. This will encourage others to have the same fruit.
No one wants to pick shriveled-up fruit from a dying tree. A good tree will produce good fruit.
My prayer for you today is that you are producing good fruit. This is not only so you can be a beacon to those who are lost, but also so that you can have the peace and joy found only in a close, loving relationship with your Lord and Savior.
Have a great day!