From the heart

‘A healthy tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a poor tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by the fruit it bears –  you do not pick figs from thornbushes or gather grapes from bramble bushes. A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.’  (verses 43-45)

Read Luke 6: 39-49

Jesus’ story about the tree and its fruit points to an obvious outcome at harvest time. The kind of tree determines the kind of fruit it will produce, and the health of the tree determines whether the fruit will be good or bad. This seems obvious.

But this lesson is not always so obvious when it comes to your life. Are you looking around for solutions to problems in your life? Are you wondering why your life seems to produce more dry prickles than sweet juicy grapes? Has your heart been in your mouth because of fear and worry?

God is at work in your life to enable you to bear good fruit. Like a sickly tree transplanted into good soil, your heart has been transplanted firmly into Jesus and his word. This happened first in your baptism, and now God keeps renewing you every day. God creates in you a new heart, one you can ‘wear on your sleeve’ in contentment, joy and peace. From this treasure of good things in your heart, will come good words and actions that will be beneficial to those around you.

Lord, help me to keep drawing nourishment from you, so that I can produce good fruit in my life. Amen.

by Alicia Simpfendorfer, in ‘God’s Peace for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2005)

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