A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT

BARBARA E. PERKINS

A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT

God’s word in Luke 6:43-45 (NKJV) declares, 43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” What kind of fruit are we bearing in our lives? Is the LORD pleased with the fruit that we are bearing in our lives? Does our fruit point others to the LORD? Or, does our fruit even verify that we know the LORD and belong to the Him? There is another well-known Scripture that confirms the idea of having GOOD FRUIT (actually the Holy Spirit guiding us) in our lives and this fruit is found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” This fruit is well-known and yet is so often overlooked by many. We are known by our fruit—the fruit of the Holy Spirit!!! Heavenly Father, I want to be known by bearing good fruit. I want my fruit to confirm that I am born again—that You are living on the inside of me directing my actions and my lifestyle. I want to be known by the fruit of the Holy Spirit that indicates I am Yours, LORD. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your loving kindness and Your tender mercies for always giving me another chance to get my life in line with Your word. What an AWESOME God I serve!!!