Are you on watch for bad fruit?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV))

Think about this the next time that you hear of something that is just too good to be true, or is just a little off of what God’s Word says that it should be. Most of the time, lies are obvious, but deception is a trick of the enemy. When things sound almost right with respect to God’s word, they are totally wrong.

It should be easy for believers to realize that the “fruit” does not match the source. We should be able to easily distinguish that the things the enemy tells us are too good to be true, especially when they contradict everything that we should know to be true according to God’s Word.

Why do people fall for the deceptions of the enemy?

Are we, as a fallen, sinful race, too far removed from the truth to even recognize it?

The words in Matthew are amazing and sadly amusing if you stop to actually understand what is being said. We have enough common sense to not look for grapes on an apple tree, yet, we easily fall prey to the small lies of the enemy in hopes that the promises are true.

Test everything against God’s Word. If something is supposed to bear goodness, but it lies to do so, does it really follow God’s Word? If you are promised that it is only a small digression and no one will know about it, can it be the correct fit?

We have been told what the things of God will bear.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

Think of this passage when validating the truth about something. Does it produce according to the fruit of the Spirit?

Are you on watch for bad fruit?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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How are you recognized?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:20 (NIV))

Do you get apples from a pear tree? Do you get pecans from a peach tree? Do you . . .

I realize that these sound like very silly questions for anyone older than three or four years old, but it is the same concept when we look at the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

Do you see love in a hateful person? Do you see kindness in a selfish person? Do you see joy in an angry person? I realize that it is possible for a hateful person to show a small amount of love, but not enough to overshadow the hate that fills them. It is possible for a selfish person to show an occasional kindness, but it is not an ever present characteristic in their lives. And just as you don’t see anything that resembles true joy in an angry person, you don’t see true anger in a joyful person. All of these are contradictions to each other. It is possible to even say that these sample pairings are the extremes of the same characteristics. At one end you have love and the other end you have hate.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to bear good fruit. Do you?

How do you see yourself? How do you think others see you? How does the Lord see you? Do you show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do your actions reflect the light of Jesus or do they embrace the sins of this world?

If you were to be judged by your fruit, which end of the extremes would you be on? Would you be found to bear good fruit? Would you be neither good nor bad, hot nor cold? We know what Jesus thinks of those who are neither hot nor cold.

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
(Revelation 3:16 (NIV))

How are you recognized?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What fruit comes forth from your heart?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The 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.
(Luke 6:43-45 (NIV))

It is not possible for a person to bear fruit contrary to their heart. Can a lion be anything other than a lion? Can a lamb kill and destroy? Neither can a person do anything that is not in their heart.

If a tree starts to develop a blight, the gardener will remove the effected limbs so that the blight does not spread, for he knows that the tree is not made up of the blight. The blight is death for the tree. Sin is the same way in the hearts of people. It is death. We must remove the sin, but how can we do that? We are not capable on our own. We cannot approach God in our sin, for God cannot associate with sin. We need help. We must remove the blight, but keep the true nature of our heart.

Jesus came so that our hearts could be true and our lives made righteous in the eyes of God. All we have to do is accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, and the fruit that we bear will be tended so that it is a true reflection of the heart of Jesus, after all, we have asked Jesus into our hearts.

What fruit comes forth from your heart?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you trust the lessons in His Word?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
(Matthew 24:32-35 (NIV))

These words spoken by Jesus hold several truths!

I love the way that we are given near-term and long-term meanings in so many passages of scripture. Isn’t it amazing how words that sound so simple can be so complex in meaning? Imagery is so important in the lessons that Jesus taught. He was able to relay things in ways that those who wanted to know could understand both then and now. Through this imagery, we believe that we understand what Jesus was speaking to us and the meaning that it has for us today.

Now that we are living in the days that Jesus spoke of, many people are becoming very interested in the statement about this generation, for we are seeing things unfold that no other generation has ever seen. Even so, we must rest assured that no matter what happens, God is always there and His truth will always be there. All that we have to do is seek!

God is in control!

He knows what the future holds for He holds the future!

It is our duty, as believers, to be the light to those who do not know Jesus. We must show them the way to their future through Christ. By doing this, no matter what happens, we can help people recognize that the season of His return is upon us.

Do you trust the lessons in His Word?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you planted and prosperous?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
(Psalms 1:3 (NIV))

Prosperity does not always mean money!

If a tree is planted by streams of water and yields its fruit in season, that tree is fruitful. It can be considered prosperous. It does exceedingly well exactly what it was created to do!

Do you judge others by financial prosperity? Do you judge yourself by financial prosperity?

Sadly, we have a tendency to judge prosperity by worldly benchmarks where financial gain is the easiest one to measure. We do this regardless of what calling God has placed on the individuals being measured. Please don’t misunderstand me and think that financial prosperity is not from God. It is very possible to be called by God to something where financial prosperity is needed. It is not exactly easy to have the gift of generosity and not have the means to fulfill that gift.

We must realize that not everyone is gifted the same.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(Ephesians 11-13 (NIV))

Each person has been gifted differently in order to equip us for His service. If we are obedient and serve as we are called, we will prosper. We will have an impact utilizing the gifts that we have been given. Just as the tree planted by streams of water yields it fruit, if we are obedient and stay planted in our calling, we will produce a yield. We will prosper in what we have been called to do.

Are you planted and prosperous?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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How big is your mustard seed?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
(Matthew 13:31-32 (NIV))

The kingdom of heaven is indeed like a mustard seed. Like something small, it is there for us to find. Yet, if you are not looking for it, it will be missed. Once it is found, it grows within us until it is all consuming, until it is the focus of our lives.

God intended it to be this way. We must find it by faith. If it were visible to everyone, where would faith be? God planned it that way. He knew that if everyone could see the visible effects of the kingdom of heaven, then people would choose without testing their faith. God wants people to come to Him of their own free will, not because of His power.

How big is your mustard seed? Has it grown or is it still the smallest of all seeds?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What type of fruit do you bear?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The 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.
(Luke 6:43-45 (NIV))

What type of fruit do you bear?

Do you speak of God’s grace and mercy and bestow anger and wrath? Do your actions reflect what you truly desire for others to see? With that question asked, exactly what is it that you want others to see in you?

If a tree bears the type of fruit that it has the genetic code to produce, that means that it is not capable of producing anything else. It is predestined to produce what it produces. We have an advantage over the trees. We can make a conscious decision to change our fruit. We can change the fruit that we bear from bad to good. It must start from within. It is not impossible to change. We must simply be willing to change. We must desire to produce good fruit. We must desire to produce the fruit that represents the righteous characteristics that we wish to possess and store on the inside.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

The fruit of the Spirit is an outward presentation of what is truly stored within your heart.

What do you have stored in your heart?

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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