SCRIPTURE:
“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 thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Luke 6:43-45
OBSERVATION:
I recall as a child that we had a couple of mango trees in our yard. One produced big, tasty Hayden mangos that brought joy to our family and friends. Yet the one next to it produced smaller mangos always speckled with black spots and not so tasty. The fruits from one we ate and enjoyed, the fruits from the other could be used to throw at each other or at the rock wall. The ground around the speckled fruited tree always seemed to have rotted mangos with flies on them deferring us from wanting to go around the tree. Rarely did the Hayden tree have rotten mangos around its base as the mangos were sought after. When I think of mangos, I remember that beautiful fruitful Hayden mango tree. I rarely think about the other mango tree. Jesus states it very clearly. We are called to be people who bear good fruit and that good fruit comes from the goodness of our heart. Subsequently, the goodness from our heart comes from our relationship and roots in Jesus and the Word. Neither do we want our words and actions to be offensive and negative where we are like thorn bushes that cause people to stay clear of us.
APPLICATION:
I know that my desire is to have people like me, and that I would have a positive influence on them. However, I wonder if I always portray the person God calls me to be by my words, actions and body language. I think that my words, actions and body language actually do come from what I ingest and dwell on in my heart. If I have wrong thoughts, ideas and motives in my heart, it will manifest itself even if I think I am camouflaging it. Like the wonderful Hayden mango tree, my roots need to be in good soil of the Lord rooted in His Word and my relationship with Him. Then, I believe my thoughts and feelings within will be good, resulting in words, actions and body language that example the goodness of God in me, resulting in good fruit.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, truly may your Word and my relationship with you help and guide me to have a fruitful heart that will example itself in how I speak to, relate to and treat people. May I be a succulent Hayden mango that they desire more time with, rather then a rotten mango that draws flies and sours them to even want to come close to me.
