A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matt. 7:21.

We often hear people say “Lord, Lord,” both in their prayers and testimonies, but not all of them will enter the kingdom of heaven. You can judge the tree by looking at people’s works, because a good tree cannot produce bad fruit and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.

If, up to now, you have thought that the only good Christians are the ones who cry out “Lord, Lord,” most frequently, then, from now on, start paying attention to their works. Look at the motives behind every work, and see whether the goal is godliness, or if it all just revolves around “I,” “me,” and “mine.” Take a careful look at your own works, and purify them from selfishness. Choose to do the works that lead you into a deeper rest in God. And once you have done your works, rest from them, just as God rests from His. If your works seem useless and do not turn out the way you had expected, do not be anxious, because they have been done in God. If your works have brought you rest in your spirit, then it is up to God to take care of everything else.

If the tree is good, then the motives will be good, and the work that is accomplished will also be good, even if it is met with bitter opposition. What understanding does any person have when it comes to their own spiritual training? How can we know ahead of time what kind of works God has use for in His master plan of salvation? He takes all of the small individual pieces and combines them into one coherent whole. Our task is simply to believe and obey—to walk on the way of the Lord. Which of the prophets or apostles was ever appreciated or honored for their life’s work? They were appointed to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. Jer. 1:10. No one receives honor for such a work. If we were to build first, then it is possible that we would receive some honor; but when we start with rooting out and throwing down, we only reap hatred.

Nevertheless, this is God’s work. He will not allow His true witnesses to build on a foundation of loose sand. They are given the task of first clearing the ground, and then building up. In spite of the fact that these works and fruits come from a good tree, people still think, as they always have, that such a tree is completely corrupt. But the truth of the matter is that the things that get uprooted are corrupt. How could you ever uproot people who have built on the rock and who have anchored their tent pegs into the truth? Has lying gained the upper hand? Is it now capable of defeating the truth? No, thanks be to God. “That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth.”

For a tree to bear fruit that is truly good, a person must be vigilant. Because once people start looking up to you, it is extremely easy to come under the sway of people who are highly esteemed according to the flesh. Riches have ruined many a soul. Was not the Savior Himself anointed by God to preach the gospel to the poor? Luke 4:18. Do you think we have been anointed to preach it to the rich and mighty of this world? If we are inclined to position ourselves as close as possible to those who are rich, the tree will not be good at all; it will bear bad fruit. Greatness that comes from associating with those who are great does not make a person truly great. Those who in their love for Christ have been anointed to proclaim the gospel to the poor are truly great, and they will become even greater by being faithful in their work.

Do not walk on two paths, because you will certainly fall on one of them. The error of Balaam is widespread among believers. May God liberate us from evil and teach us His ways in truth. Perhaps the tree was good at one time, but then it was corrupted by the deceitfulness of riches. Prosperity increased, and they began to be highly regarded; and then they got a taste for vanity, and in their heart they began to despise lowly things because they appeared to be insignificant. At this point, their fall was imminent. Do not rely on what you received from God many years ago. Instead, rely on God today. Many Christians are caught in Satan’s snare and are taken captive by vanity; some have been ensnared by a life of self-indulgence. Their life is far from being “completely pure,” despite their efforts to make it seem so. The tree has become rotten and bears bad fruit. Those who rebuke unrighteousness are hated, because people love their fallen state, and they feed their own lusts. The parents of the blind, young man were afraid to be associated with Jesus because of their fear of being cast out of the synagogue. In the same way, many people in our day understand what is true and right, yet they are afraid of what people think about them, and they are afraid of not being welcome in people’s homes. Because of this, they try to walk on two paths in order to get the best of both worlds. But such hypocrisy will never succeed in the long run. As always, whatever is true and right will triumph in the end. God is mighty to raise up witnesses who are more powerful. In the end, fruit from the good tree tastes the best.