Fruits Are Important

I’m not talking about apples and oranges here. I am referring to an outcome of our lives. We had an appointment with a doctor about 70 miles south of where we live. During the day, there was a power outage where my wife works. She heard that there were quite a few outages south of us, some in the very town that the doctor's appoint was. So as not to waste a trip south, I called to the clinic. I asked the receptionist if there was a power outage in their facility. Her response told me everything. In a somewhat confused and incredulous response, she asked, “A what?” By her response, I knew that there was no outage there. She went on to say they rarely have outages there. She told me everything I needed to know by her response. Do we telegraph our faith that well? There have been some people that I have met that I instantly knew were believers. Some of it was present in their eyes. I think there is some truth that the eyes are the gateway of our souls. Some of my confidence was partially in what they did, but also the attitude in which they did it. As believers, can we have a bad day and give the wrong signals? Yes, to some degree. Matthew 7 tells us, "by their fruit you will know them". He is indicating how to recognize a prophet, but the same process works for believers as well. It goes on to say that a good tree doesn’t bear bad fruit and a bad tree doesn’t bear good fruit. The fruit is the result of our faith and heart. Even a bad day can be recognized by our response to it... our confession... our seeking reconciliation or restoring relationships. If someone were to observe your life, would they see a life that reflects Jesus? Would the world recognize us because we stand on the truth of God’s word or would we blend in? If the world doesn’t see Christ in us, I would be fearful that Christ may not really reside there. How do we treat others? How do we treat others when we don’t think anyone else is watching? What is the motive for everything that we do? Is it for self or to honor and glorify the name of Jesus. If our lives are not obviously Christian, we probably need to go back to God’s word, spend genuine focused time in prayer, and lift our hearts and voices in worship. The fruit comes, not from me, but from Christ within me. Holy Father, I know I am not perfect. I am aware that I need some pruning. Change my heart and fill it with Your presence. Amen