Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. – Matthew 7:20
Do you have any zucchini plants?” my friend asked an employee at the gardening center. “Right over there,” he directed, waving his hand. She took home several of the plants he had indicated and planted them. After a while, some fruit began to grow. “Those sure look like pumpkins,” a visitor commented. “No, I think they might be summer squash,” she replied. But as the days went by, they became bigger and rounder and more orange until it was obvious to everyone that they were indeed pumpkins. An experienced gardener probably could have told my friend at the outset that she was not buying zucchini plants. Eventually, though, it did not take much knowledge to discern what type of plant she had purchased. The fruit told the story.
As human beings, our lives are producing spiritual fruit. The Bible says that Christians bring forth the fruit of the Spirit of God, and sinners bring forth the fruit of the flesh. Sometimes, for a while, people might be fooled. A sinner might dress like a Christian and go to church like a Christian. He might even be able to preach a sermon, give a testimony, or sing a song. He might fool some people for a while. But eventually, the fruit grows, and then the truth becomes evident to all. The fruit Christians bear is love, joy, and peace, while the fruits of the sinful life are lying, adultery, fornication, impurity, and jealousy.
Let’s make sure that our hearts are right with God so that our spiritual fruit will bring glory to Him!