“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18, NLT)
I was eight years old. It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining. Birds were singing in the morning air. I had wonderful plans to be outside all day. Do you remember any summertime carefree days as a youth? There were so many possibilities before me. Maybe I will play baseball with my friends. I might go fishing at the breakwater. Then, there was always that book I wanted to read. I could read it on the porch outside!
As I thought about what to do, I walked across my grandparents’ lawn toward the big field to the back of the property. There, I spotted the old apple tree next door. Yes! Ripe apples were drooping on its branches. I ran over and found an apple hanging low and picked it from the tree. I bit into it and immediately dropped the apple. The apple tasted horrible! It was sour! Why did I eat that? Twenty minutes later, my day changed. I had a terrible stomachache. Going into my grandparents’ home, I mentioned how I was sick to my stomach and laid down on the couch. It took me about an hour for me to feel better. That apple had ruined my morning!
I found out later from a tree grower that the apple tree next door had “bitter pip”. When the soil isn’t good for the apple tree, it can produce bitter apples because of a lack of certain nutrients in the soil or tannins present. It was too bad I found that out the hard way!
As I look back on that ruined day with the sour apple, I am reminded of our scripture for today. Jesus taught that “a good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.” Because the tree from which I picked that sour apple had problems, it could not produce good fruit. Its poor soil and age doomed its fruit to be inedible. In the same way, Christians can produce bad spiritual fruit when their spiritual life goes uncultivated and ignored. So too, people who regret poor life choices can become spiritually weak or even reject God. That is why having children grow up in a healthy, loving Christian home is so important. That is also why a healthy spiritual life filled with lots of prayer and mentoring and support and love is crucial to a good relationship with God and good outreach.
There are two churches in a town not far away. I am familiar with both. I know their pastors and the congregations. Despite them being only a half mile away from each other, their history is in stark contrast. They are totally different churches. You can see this in their spiritual foundation and fruit.
One church has a large ornate building. Its steeple is seen for miles. The church building was erected in the church’s heyday, some seventy years ago when the pews were full, and the services were uplifting and empowering. When you walked in that church, the ornate beauty of the sanctuary was breathtaking. The members of that church boasted that they were “THE church for the movers and shakers in the community”. Then, within two decades, the church began its decline. A new pastor was installed in the church. He was very well liked and revered. However, the pastor had a hidden drinking problem. At first, it didn’t seem to affect the church’s spiritual life. Then, as the drinking became more severe, his home life and marriage deteriorated. Then, he had an affair with a church member. Not long after, he left. Members argued over losing what they deemed as another good pastor. Then, they went through a series of pastors who “weren’t as good as the old ones”, in their words. They often choose a pastor who is older and very well educated. In the years since, many of the members remember “the good old days”. They take great care of their building but have few mission programs. The church does a lot of work in their community, but it’s mostly for appearance sake. It’s been years since an adult has been baptized at that church. Only a couple of new families join each year. They are a slowly dying congregation.
The other church a half mile away is drastically different. They just built a newer, larger building because they outgrew the old one. The members are sad that they didn’t build one even larger, but it’s what they could afford. The pastor is young and somewhat inexperienced, but energetic. The members are active and chip in to help when asked. They have a food pantry in the church, and members are active in the community. They constantly invite friends and neighbors to the church. They have sent missionaries to two places overseas and are very supportive of the missionary families. Members are excited to see young children in the church and are excited when a new Sunday School class is introduced. They are a growing, exuberant congregation.
Though these churches are in the same town, are only 2000 feet apart, and are made up of neighbors, they are night and day different. One church is dying while the other is growing. One church tends to get members from babies growing up in the church while the other is welcoming children and adults of all ages. One church building feels like a museum. The other feels less ornate but alive with the Spirit.
The main difference between these two churches can be seen in their fruits. One church is slowly dying and seems stuck in the past. Their Sunday School classes are largely empty. The children are slowly disappearing from worship. Only a handful of people join their church each year. Their outreach programs are poorly supported and often lack funding. The people are stuck in the past and talk about past glory. The other church is active and passionate. There are baptisms every month and Bible Study classes for all ages. New members feel welcome and are assimilated quickly. They add to the vibrant nature and excitement of the place. Missionaries feel welcome speaking there. People feel like God is active and powerful and present. They look to the future and what God will do next.
Which church is bearing good fruit for God’s Kingdom? Why?
In speaking of Matthew 7:18, John MacArthur made the following observation: “A fruit tree may be beautiful and decorative and offer refreshing shade in the summer. But its main purpose is to bear fruit, and it is therefore judged by what it produces and not by how it appears. Similarly, anyone who claims to speak for God must be judged by his life, not merely by his appearance or words.
False prophets can sometimes deceive even genuine Christians. If you become careless concerning the Word of God, lazy about prayer, and apathetic about God’s kingdom, it is easy for you to be deceived by a clever, pleasant, smooth–talking teacher who only appears to be orthodox.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you remain vigilant and well prepared. Bad fruit from a bad tree is simply not acceptable, no matter how good both may appear. It has to be examined carefully (see Heb. 5:14). But for the mature believer, there is true assurance in Jesus’ words, “‘by their fruits you will know them’” (Matt. 7:20). There is no need to be deceived if you look closely.” (Truth for Today, p. 252)
Let’s look for a moment at your life. What kinds of fruits have come from you? Do people sense God in your presence? Do they feel God’s love emanating from your words and actions? Are you a sharing person? If so, the fruits of the Spirit might be growing all around you and in you. If, on the other hand, others feel you are selfish or angry or demanding, you might not bear much spiritual fruit. If you are a miserly and self-centered Scrooge, your fruits might be hard to swallow (parabolically, just like my sour apple!).
What kind of person do you want to be?
Don’t just read today’s scripture and this meditation. Take it one step further. Talk to Jesus today about the spiritual fruits in your life. Has your life made a difference in the spiritual lives of others? Do others owe your influence to their coming to Jesus? Have the results of your actions proved life-changing to others or a life-lesson to never do what you have done?
As I thought about what to do, I walked across my grandparents’ lawn toward the big field to the back of the property. There, I spotted the old apple tree next door. Yes! Ripe apples were drooping on its branches. I ran over and found an apple hanging low and picked it from the tree. I bit into it and immediately dropped the apple. The apple tasted horrible! It was sour! Why did I eat that? Twenty minutes later, my day changed. I had a terrible stomachache. Going into my grandparents’ home, I mentioned how I was sick to my stomach and laid down on the couch. It took me about an hour for me to feel better. That apple had ruined my morning!
I found out later from a tree grower that the apple tree next door had “bitter pip”. When the soil isn’t good for the apple tree, it can produce bitter apples because of a lack of certain nutrients in the soil or tannins present. It was too bad I found that out the hard way!
As I look back on that ruined day with the sour apple, I am reminded of our scripture for today. Jesus taught that “a good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.” Because the tree from which I picked that sour apple had problems, it could not produce good fruit. Its poor soil and age doomed its fruit to be inedible. In the same way, Christians can produce bad spiritual fruit when their spiritual life goes uncultivated and ignored. So too, people who regret poor life choices can become spiritually weak or even reject God. That is why having children grow up in a healthy, loving Christian home is so important. That is also why a healthy spiritual life filled with lots of prayer and mentoring and support and love is crucial to a good relationship with God and good outreach.
There are two churches in a town not far away. I am familiar with both. I know their pastors and the congregations. Despite them being only a half mile away from each other, their history is in stark contrast. They are totally different churches. You can see this in their spiritual foundation and fruit.
One church has a large ornate building. Its steeple is seen for miles. The church building was erected in the church’s heyday, some seventy years ago when the pews were full, and the services were uplifting and empowering. When you walked in that church, the ornate beauty of the sanctuary was breathtaking. The members of that church boasted that they were “THE church for the movers and shakers in the community”. Then, within two decades, the church began its decline. A new pastor was installed in the church. He was very well liked and revered. However, the pastor had a hidden drinking problem. At first, it didn’t seem to affect the church’s spiritual life. Then, as the drinking became more severe, his home life and marriage deteriorated. Then, he had an affair with a church member. Not long after, he left. Members argued over losing what they deemed as another good pastor. Then, they went through a series of pastors who “weren’t as good as the old ones”, in their words. They often choose a pastor who is older and very well educated. In the years since, many of the members remember “the good old days”. They take great care of their building but have few mission programs. The church does a lot of work in their community, but it’s mostly for appearance sake. It’s been years since an adult has been baptized at that church. Only a couple of new families join each year. They are a slowly dying congregation.
The other church a half mile away is drastically different. They just built a newer, larger building because they outgrew the old one. The members are sad that they didn’t build one even larger, but it’s what they could afford. The pastor is young and somewhat inexperienced, but energetic. The members are active and chip in to help when asked. They have a food pantry in the church, and members are active in the community. They constantly invite friends and neighbors to the church. They have sent missionaries to two places overseas and are very supportive of the missionary families. Members are excited to see young children in the church and are excited when a new Sunday School class is introduced. They are a growing, exuberant congregation.
Though these churches are in the same town, are only 2000 feet apart, and are made up of neighbors, they are night and day different. One church is dying while the other is growing. One church tends to get members from babies growing up in the church while the other is welcoming children and adults of all ages. One church building feels like a museum. The other feels less ornate but alive with the Spirit.
The main difference between these two churches can be seen in their fruits. One church is slowly dying and seems stuck in the past. Their Sunday School classes are largely empty. The children are slowly disappearing from worship. Only a handful of people join their church each year. Their outreach programs are poorly supported and often lack funding. The people are stuck in the past and talk about past glory. The other church is active and passionate. There are baptisms every month and Bible Study classes for all ages. New members feel welcome and are assimilated quickly. They add to the vibrant nature and excitement of the place. Missionaries feel welcome speaking there. People feel like God is active and powerful and present. They look to the future and what God will do next.
Which church is bearing good fruit for God’s Kingdom? Why?
In speaking of Matthew 7:18, John MacArthur made the following observation: “A fruit tree may be beautiful and decorative and offer refreshing shade in the summer. But its main purpose is to bear fruit, and it is therefore judged by what it produces and not by how it appears. Similarly, anyone who claims to speak for God must be judged by his life, not merely by his appearance or words.
False prophets can sometimes deceive even genuine Christians. If you become careless concerning the Word of God, lazy about prayer, and apathetic about God’s kingdom, it is easy for you to be deceived by a clever, pleasant, smooth–talking teacher who only appears to be orthodox.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you remain vigilant and well prepared. Bad fruit from a bad tree is simply not acceptable, no matter how good both may appear. It has to be examined carefully (see Heb. 5:14). But for the mature believer, there is true assurance in Jesus’ words, “‘by their fruits you will know them’” (Matt. 7:20). There is no need to be deceived if you look closely.” (Truth for Today, p. 252)
Let’s look for a moment at your life. What kinds of fruits have come from you? Do people sense God in your presence? Do they feel God’s love emanating from your words and actions? Are you a sharing person? If so, the fruits of the Spirit might be growing all around you and in you. If, on the other hand, others feel you are selfish or angry or demanding, you might not bear much spiritual fruit. If you are a miserly and self-centered Scrooge, your fruits might be hard to swallow (parabolically, just like my sour apple!).
What kind of person do you want to be?
Don’t just read today’s scripture and this meditation. Take it one step further. Talk to Jesus today about the spiritual fruits in your life. Has your life made a difference in the spiritual lives of others? Do others owe your influence to their coming to Jesus? Have the results of your actions proved life-changing to others or a life-lesson to never do what you have done?