Matthew 7:18-20

Matthew 7:18-20 (ESV): “18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Everyone bears fruit—both good and bad. A person’s fruit tells the story of what is happening in their heart. You can distinguish the good from the bad by their fruit.

Jesus warns His disciples about the danger of false teachers. They appear as sheep but are ravenous wolves. How can His disciples tell who the genuine teachers are from the false ones? By their fruit. Just as a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit, so too will a good teacher bear good fruit and a bad one bad fruit. Everyone will yield fruit. Jesus is saying that the fruit tells the real story.

What kind of fruit are you bearing in your life today? It reveals what is in your heart. If we find that we are yielding bad fruit, then we need a change of heart, and that will change the kind of fruit we produce. Jesus said that if we abide in Him, we will bear good fruit (John 15:4). He is the vine; we are the branches. Yield yourself to Christ and abide in Him, and you will produce good fruit in your life.

Father, we thank You for the clear identifier of fruit, which reveals the condition of our hearts. Change our hearts to yield good fruit, we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.