Matthew 12:33 TPT says “You must determine if a tree is good or rotten. You can recognize good trees by their delicious fruit. But if you find rotten fruit, you can be certain that the tree is rotten. The fruit defines the tree.” Allow us to explain this verse in the simplest way. You are the tree. Your fruits are your thoughts, words, and actions!
Those who see our fruit first the most are those in our home. A lot of times we are kinder to outsiders than to our own family. That’s not the way it should be. Your light should shine brightest to those in closest proximity! What light gets brighter at a distance? None that I know of! Home becomes a safe place for us and those around us when we allow the Holy Spirit to prune us at the thought level! Everyone you communicate with (through words, tone, body language), starting at home and branching out from there, are going to eat some kind of fruit from you. When you’ve rooted yourself in Jesus and in His Living Word, your fruit will show it!
So how do we become a good tree that bears good fruit? Let’s look at Psalms 1 (TPT), Titled “The Tree of Life”.
Verse 1 says “What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways! He won’t walk in step with the wicked, nor share the sinner’s way, nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat”. Let’s begin with the first sentence. Who does delight come to? One who follows God’s ways! You can’t follow His ways if you don’t know them. Get in the Word to find out about His ways! The next part tells us if we are following in God’s ways we can’t be in step with wicked. Simply put, you can’t walk with God and the devil. Can you head both North and South at the same time? No! Lastly, you can’t follow God and sit in the scorner’s seat at the same time. This means you can’t be critical and judgmental!
Moving on to Verse 2, “His passion is to remain true to the Word of “I AM”, meditating day and night on the true revelation of light.” Simply put, the “he” is you and me. The “I AM” is God. The light is Jesus and the Living Word. The revelation of it is referring to salvation and the revelation knowledge of the goodness of God! So, when we follow God’s ways we will passionately and constantly think on the goodness of God!
Verse 3 says “He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, and ever prosperous.” We were born into the kingdom of darkness but when we are saved, we are translated (and transplanted) into the kingdom of light. Once you are planted there, rooted by the brooks of bliss, you know what to expect in your life! You don’t look to people, media, politicians, or your job to tell you what the state of your life is. The world might be a mess, but when your world is following God, you know without a shadow of a doubt that you will bear fruit in every season! You will never dry up and never faint. You will be ever blessed and ever prosperous! And do you know what ever blessed means? Ever in the presence of God Almighty! That is our blessing!
We are praying for you to apply the Living Word to your life, that you will read the Word and understand just what it means to follow God! We pray that as you grow and learn who He is, you will allow Him to define who YOU are! We are praying that you will be bold and courageous as you go deeper with your roots, and as your fruit grows! We pray that you will be defined by the Fruit of the Spirit, and those that eat of your fruit will be drawn to the Lord!
