Think about your attitudes and actions. Meditate.
Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10
Have you ever chopped down a tree? How
about a bush? Chopping is hard work. Of course, if it a small tree or the wood
is dead it is much easier. This passage was not spoken by Jesus, but by John
the Baptist shortly before he baptized Jesus. He was speaking to the Pharisees
and Sadducees who had come to the Jordan River to be baptized, too. What a
bunch of fakers. John saw them for who they were…hypocrites. They just came to
see what was going on down by the River. Do you think they were “producing good
fruit?” The Holy Spirit had not yet been given to believers, and Paul had not
preached to the Galatians about the Fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23),
but the idea of good fruit began in the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam…and then
Eve…fruit on trees in the Garden. Good food.
The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up
from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In
the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9
 |
| Will these apple blossoms produce Good Fruit...or Bad Fruit? |
A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree
is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. Matthew
12:33
So one day we will be judged by what we do…the
kind of fruit we produce. Those from the bad tree:
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
Are you like the good tree, producing good
fruit?
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of
fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these
things! Galatians 5:22-23
As always, the choice is ours, every day…every minute. Our lives are what we make it…how we respond to things that happen to us. Our attitude is the key. As Chuck Swindoll said…life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. Are you reacting to life, to this COVID-19 pandemic, to opportunities that God gives you in such a way as to be seen as “good fruit” or not? The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
Prayer ~ Lord God, I want to have good fruit produced in my life. No rotten apples. Help me to see what changes I need to make, give me wisdom to follow Your leading, and motivate me to make those changes. Thank you.
Verses of Salvation ~ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11
© 2020 Text,
photos and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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