A Reflection On Fruitfulness

When I want my actions to line up with what I believe

How do we detect false teachers? Jesus’ answer is simple: it’s all in the fruit. When we hear a new teaching, of course we listen closely to the teacher’s words to determine if they line up with our understanding of biblical doctrine. But an even better indicator is the behavior of the teacher. If we really want to know what people believe, we will not focus on their words but on their actions.

We can apply Jesus’ principle of fruit to ourselves as well. What we do will indicate what we believe deep down inside. If we say we believe in the power of prayer but rarely pray, we don’t really believe what we say. If we say we believe in the power of love to change lives, yet harbor critical and judgmental attitudes, once again we deceive ourselves. Our deeds contradict our words.

What is the evidence of genuine belief? Learn to discern the truth. It’s all in the fruit.

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Matthew 7:20