Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Luke 11:39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
Isaiah 32:6 For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
Romans 3:10-14 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Certainly it is important to know what kind of fruit we are producing in our lives. Are you producing good fruit or bad fruit? What determines good or bad fruit in a person’s life? How can a person know? Sometimes we can see and know;
- People who do bad things
- People who say bad things
- People who are arrogant, proud, and boastful
- People who are greedy, lacking compassion, not generous
- People who deny and reject Jesus Christ
- People who neglect God’s Word and are complacent toward Jesus Christ
Their fruits in life are easy enough to recognize. The seeds that root in the heart of these people produce bad fruit because they have chosen to follow their natural self-centered, self-worthy, and self-reliant inclinations (inherent sinful nature). They reject doing good. They reject God in any part of their lives. They are ever searching and never finding satisfaction for their soul.
There are others we cannot assess their fruit either good or bad. The outward appearance of their words or actions may look good. What they do and say to others may be good. Only God has the ability to discern good or bad fruit in these people. God knows every thought and word before it is spoken. He knows the intent of every word and action. He knows the heart of everyone. We will never know the heart that produce this fruit. The root of good or bad fruit produced stems from the heart. What is in the heart will produce either. The heart of each person can be surrendered over to self and selfish desires or surrendered to Jesus Christ.
It is through he grace of God and God’s Word that our heart is revealed to us. There is a great void, darkness, and shallowness in a person’s heart who does not spend time in God’s Word and meditate on it. How can we water the seeds of God’s Word in our lives and hope to produce good fruit if we are reading it. Giving time to God’s Word only on Sunday mornings will produce little to any good fruit. Paul said people like this are still on baby food when they should be on solid food. A person on baby food will produce baby-like fruit if any at all. Jesus said people like this are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold. This should never be said of any born again person.
It is when the seed, deep within our heart, mind, and soul, we seek, desire, and purpose to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do, that the fruit of our lives will be good. Plant this seed, water it, cultivate it, and commit to producing fruit worthy of Jesus Christ and for His honor and glory alone.