The Tree of Faith and Its Fruit

UV 4258/10000 The Tree of Faith and Its Fruit A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Matthew 7 v 18 Just like a tree, a good man cannot have bad thoughts, use bad words, entertain negative emotions, cultivate bad habits and do bad things. Jesus also said, “No man is good, “ implying that no man consistently thought good, spoke good or did good things. We can, however, once we become followers of Jesus, emulate Him in our thoughts, words and deeds. The proportion of evil, the negative or bad needs to come down in the life and character of the believer. The spiritual fruit or the fruit of the Spirit do not come naturally but is produced supernaturally in us as we yield to the Holy Spirit. As we yield our thoughts to Him, as we meditate on His word, He turns the “bad tree” into a good tree. In this manner, Saul, the killer and persecutor of the followers of Jesus was transformed into Paul, the apostle. God is not only a name changer but a game changer. But even for believers, it is always a challenge to stay good, to avoid evil consistently. If we take our eyes off Jesus like Peter did on the stormy waters of the Sea of Galilee, we will sink. He is the One who completes or perfects our faith, our lives. We need to focus on Him from beginning to the end of our lives. We need to be aware that we need to produce fruit in keeping with repentance and salvation or thoughts, words and actions that are consistent with our faith and the word. Living intentionally and faithfully implies that we not only avoid bad thoughts, bad words, bad actions but replace it with good thoughts, good words and good actions. If there is a slip up or fall in any aspect, the Lord gives us time and opportunity to make up. We need not get trapped into a guilt trip by the enemy as it is not our thoughts, words and actions that make us good but the grace of the Lord in response to our faith in Him. Faith in Jesus is the “good root” that produces the good fruit in us. Even non believers, however, expect some change for the better once we profess to be followers of Jesus. The closer, more consistent and focused our walk with God, the more and better results or fruit will be manifested in our lives. The Holy Spirit will remind us constantly of our blind spots, weak areas, areas we need to change or improve. If we choose to ignore His whispers and promptings, it will become lower and lower such that we cease to hear it. If we truly need God, we need to heed His voice. We produce fruit just like trees not for our own consumption but to bless others. The more our lives are a blessing to others in terms of help, in terms of guidance, in terms of encouragement and inspiration, the more fruitful we are in the eyes of the Lord. Unlike a natural tree that produces only a specific fruit, a human produces a variety of fruit. In the book of Revelation, it is reflected in the metaphor of trees watered by the river of life that produce a different fruit for each month of the year.