Feb 1, 2023
This powerful analogy
has been used many ways. But what does Jesus mean. Notice where
this is in the sermon.
Do you ever think
about the impact you have on others?
"Thus, you will
recognize them by their fruits." Matthew 7:20
When you interact with
others, how do they feel? I confess there were long periods in my
life where anyone I interacted with got angry or disappointed. I
can be an critical jerk. I hope that doesn't cause you to stop
listening. If you're honest, you can probably also judge the impact
you have on others, too.
This passage is
famous. We know a tree by it's fruit. Healthy trees bear good
fruit. Diseased trees produce diseased fruit or none at all. As
God's people we're challenged to bear good fruit. So what kind of
mark does a meeting with you cause? How do you make others
feel?
Jesus is making a
point in this section about false prophets. (See verses 15 and 16).
But our lives speak for God. How we live is a testimony of what we
believe. When people interact with a Christ-follower, it should be
different, in a good way. Even if the outcome is negative. Even if
you have to report bad news. Even if you have to fire someone, a
great question is, how would Jesus do this? What would Jesus
do?
Today, let's do our
best to produce good fruit. Let's create positive interactions with
people today. Let's be God's blessing to them.
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a positive difference in your interactions today.