How is my fruit? 

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭7:16-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I am around little ones a lot so I often play games pointing out different objects. What color is that? What shape is that? What kind of animal is that? We start out very young “judging” what things are by how they appear. If I point out a fully bloomed apple tree and ask my sons what type of tree it is it wouldn’t take long for them to guess. Followed I am sure by “can we eat one Mom?”

I DO NOT have a green thumb.  I know very little of gardening. I do know you need to water, keep weeds out of your garden and in my part of the world keep critters out of your garden. An experienced gardener would understand the right type of fertilizer and maybe natural pesticides to use.

In my mind tending a gardening is very like tending our spiritual lives. It takes time and it takes effort. It takes watchful eyes. If you leave your spiritual life on auto-pilot, it will quickly be over run with many things, but usually not good fruit. If it did manage to grow some fruit the birds, rabbits and deer would snatch it up before you could reap the benefits.

Our spiritual garden, in order to bear fruit, needs all the same types of attention. Constant weeding our lives of unnecessary weights. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and pride can spring up quite easily and begin to choke the precious seeds of faith that have been planted. Bad relationships and hidden secrets of the past will all try and claim the sprouts that start to rise from the soil. Neglecting daily reading of his Word and regular church attendance are just as detrimental as forgetting to water for a few days. Which sadly I have to admit I have done in “both” gardens.

So today, on this beautiful spring day, many of you who may be planning your garden or have already started. Take a few moments to tend your spiritual garden. Ask God to reveal any little “theives” that may be seeking to destroy the things He has planted. Rid yourself of the weeds that constantly drag you down and make you not want to even attempt growing fruit. Seek wisdom from his word. Ask yourself. How is my fruit??