Bearing Good Fruit
/Jesus said, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45
As a new year begins we sometimes think about setting new goals and changing how we manage our lives. In Luke 6, Jesus challenges us to think about the kind of fruit we are bearing. What is coming out of our hearts and mouths as we interact with others? Jesus relates our fruit bearing to our heart attitude.
So...
What kind of fruit do you think we should be bearing in our lives?
- kindness toward others
- patience with others as we interact with those God has placed in our lives
- maintaining a joyful attitude despite our circumstances
And...
How can we make sure that we are bearing good fruit?
- by loving God, ourselves and others
- by keeping the lines of communication open with God through reading His Word, prayer and fellowship with other believers
- by accepting what God brings into our lives and yielding our hearts to His leading
