Ancient Bible World

Knowing the Fruit

If you really want to know what’s inside a person, just watch how they live. Listen to what regularly comes out of their mouth. How do they talk about others when they’re frustrated? How do they handle disappointment, stress, or correction?

It’s not always about the big moments of faith; sometimes it’s the small, everyday things that reveal the condition of our hearts. How do we speak to our spouse after a long, exhausting day? How do we treat our children when they interrupt us for the fifth time? What do we say about people behind their backs? What thoughts run through our minds when no one is around to hear them?

Consider Jesus’ teachings on how we can develop the ability to see a glimpse of the heart of a person, simply by observing them. In a metaphor that describes man’s ability to know trees by their fruit—Jesus penetrates right to the heart of the matter… people reveal who they are by their actions.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit… For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:33–37).

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:43–45).

But how can we know if the fruit on a tree is truly healthy and good? It may look good from far away, but in order to see if it’s truly good, we need a closer look. Likewise, how can we know if someone’s fruit is truly good? These days on the internet, it’s easy to “look the part” on the outside. It’s easy to smile, post a verse online, or say all the right things—but the fruit we bear in our daily lives tells the real story. The way we handle pressure, temptation, or conflict shows what’s really taking root in people’s hearts.

Before we start thinking about the fruit in someone else’s life, though, Jesus also calls us to examine our own. That brings us to the next point—self-reflection.

Self-Reflection

Let’s be honest, in this day and age, unless you know someone personally and interact with them daily, our ability to really know what kind of fruit people are bearing outside of what we can see through our screens is very limited. Of course, we hope to give others the benefit of the doubt, taking them at their word, and we should choose to see the best in people… but here’s something that’s even MORE important.

Self-reflection: Before we start pointing out someone else’s rotten fruit, let’s take a look at our own tree first. Remember, growth begins in the soil of humility.

We need to pause every so often and do a heart check. Am I producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, or am I bearing something bitter? Do my words bring life or tear others down?

We all go through seasons when our fruit isn’t what it should be. Maybe stress has hardened us a bit. Maybe unforgiveness has taken root. Maybe we’ve allowed distractions to choke out what God is trying to grow in us. But the good news is, it’s never too late to be pruned, refined, and restored.

Real-Life Challenge

I want to challenge you to ask yourself today: What kind of fruit am I bearing? If you want to start producing good fruit, begin by tending the soil of your heart. Spend time in God’s Word daily, not out of duty, but to let His truth take root. Pray even when you don’t feel like it. Forgive quickly. Speak life over your family, your coworkers, and even over yourself. Be intentional about gratitude. Love when it’s inconvenient. Serve when no one’s watching.

Good fruit doesn’t grow overnight. It grows through consistency, surrender, and time in God’s presence. The more we walk with Him, the more our lives naturally begin to reflect His goodness.

Let’s be people known not just for what we say, but for the fruit we bear.

Last Reflection

What kind of fruit is growing from your life right now, and what might God be asking you to prune so that something better can grow?

“Where faith and hope meet”

Nothing but Encouragement

Angela Avalos