MATTHEW 7:17-18

“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”

To Ponder

One thing I have noticed about trees is that they don’t seem to strain to produce fruit. A tree doesn't wake up each morning and try harder. It simply grows — rooted, nourished, and alive — and fruit is the natural result.

In our reading today Jesus uses the image of a tree to remind us that following him is not first and foremost about performance. It's about roots. What we produce on the outside is always a reflection of what we are on the inside. A life rooted in genuine faith, watered by God's Word, and anchored in relationship with Jesus will — in time — bear fruit that is real, lasting, and good.

This is both a comfort and a challenge. A comfort, because we are not called to manufacture goodness on our own. A challenge, because the fruit of our lives tells the truth about where our roots actually are.

So the question worth sitting with today is not "Am I doing enough good things?" but rather "Are my roots in the right soil?" When we tend to our relationship with God — through prayer, Scripture, and following his lead, we become spiritually healthy and  the fruit takes care of itself.

Faith is the soil. Fruit is the evidence.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Examine my roots today. Where I have tried to perform goodness in my own strength, redirect me back to you. Where I have allowed shallow soil to hold me, deepen my faith. I want the fruit of my life — my words, my actions, my character — to reflect your work in my life.

Grow in me what only you can grow. May what others see on the outside be a true reflection of what you are doing on the inside.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Today’s Devotion is written by Pr Nich