33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
I have problems telling what kinds of trees are in my yard. I think I have Bradford Pear and some kind of Maple. If I had an apple tree, it would be obvious at least during fruit season. Our lives show fruit and the type of fruit shows where our roots are pulling their nourishment and the type of person we are. We have seen famous people show us their fruit lately. Their exterior gives one impression, but when the nutrients drawn from the root manifest themselves, then we get to see what they are really like. But before we rant and rave at the rich celebrities, we had better take a look closer to home. Have you lost your temper lately, blasting someone unfairly? Impatient? Lacking in self-discipline? If so, then the nutrition of our roots is showing. Notice I said, “our roots.” None of us is immune to shallow or poisonous spiritual nutrition. Remember, we are all sinners saved by grace. We will always be sinners. Our roots go all the way back to Adam and Eve. By God’s grace we produce something other than sin, but only because we have been grafted into His vine. Our natural roots still produce sin. God’s grace moving through us is still against our natural nature. Being obedient to God is still foreign. That is why we must actively yield to His Spirit. We must put off the old nature and put on the new. We must keep in step with the Spirit. People will be able to tell the source of our spiritual nutrition by the fruit we produce. What does your fruit look like?
The Arnold Journey 