Luke 6:43-45
A Tree and Its Fruit
43"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Jesus teaches us that a tree is known by its fruit...All fruit trees bear some kind of fruit...We remember the tree by how we like the fruit...Each fruit tree has a unique fruit like the fig or grape...Thorns and thornbushes often represent something bad, an evil, or sin in the Bible...Jesus wore our sins, the crown of thorns, on His way to cross...Here, the heart is the tree and the fruit is our words and our actions...Here, He tells us that good fruit (words and actions) does not come from something evil...Out of a teacher's mouth comes his beliefs and his actions, and how they will be viewed...
For us to choose the good fruit, we need good teachers...We need to study the good things, like the good news...When choosing a teacher, we should choose wisely...When we look around for a mentor, we need to choose one with high morals and integrity...Choose one like Jesus...The disciples had the best Teacher and Mentor that was ever to be...Like the tree, a man will be remembered...If we don't watch or keep our guard's up, we can naturally learn from, and act like the people we are around, especially if we are around them for extended periods of time...This can be a good thing, if the ones we are around have good things stored in their hearts...It can be bad, if the constant environment we are in are around people that have evil stored up in their hearts...Out of people's hearts are how people will speak and act...Good trees bring forth good fruit...Evil trees do not bring us good fruit, they bring forth evil fruit...We must realize this teaching and keep this in mind, not only for ourselves, but also for our children, who are susceptible in a constant environment of being around the same people...Evil can corrupt and tries to corrupt...
Our heart holds our treasures...The good man holds good treasures...The evil man treasures evil...Earthly treasures are often thought of and spoken about...The more focused we are on earthly possessions the more we are focused on earth and less on the Father and Son...Jesus warns us about earthly treasures...
Out of the best trees come the best fruits...Out of our hearts can come the best things in life...We must fill our lives with the best fruit so what we have learned will come the best possible words and actions...
Like the tree and its fruit, what was in his heart and in his words and actions, are what he leaves on earth...They are his memories and how he will be remembered...The heart is key...We learn from the Master that a good man gives out of the goodness of his heart....It is not how smart we are that gets us into heaven, but what is in our hearts...