Are You A Fruit Bearer?

26 Jun

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.  (Mt 7:17-20)

“There’s something fishy about what that person is doing.”

How many times have we heard — or said — something like that?

A person who is known for doing bad all of a sudden appears to be offering something good.  The first thing that people say is that it doesn’t ring true.  They know what the person is appearing to be doing something good for his/her own benefit.  Time usually proves that, indeed, the person was up to no good.

A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, try as it might.

When I worked at Indiana State Prison, I was told that the prisoners would be watching me for six months to a year before they decided to trust me enough to speak with me. That six months to a year would give them the chance to check out the fruit that I bore.  If I was true to my word, that would show in what I did.  If I was going to be a “fake” chaplain, that would show in my actions as well.

We are called to be good people and to bear good fruit.

We need to bear fruit, lest we risk the chance of being “cut down and tossed into the fire.”

What kind of fruit will you bear today?

FAITH ACTION:  Choices abound today.  Make sure that the words and actions that you choose are consistent with the Lord.  Bear good fruit.