December 11, 2025

Hey guys, 

I hope you’re having a great week. This week’s Thought comes from Matthew 7:20. “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

This passage is on the tail end of the Sermon on the Mount. I began to think of all the different applications to this verse. I think about our culture as a whole, how divided we are, how people say one thing and do another. Then, I thought about our church culture and the different interactions we have on Sunday mornings. Think about how many times someone says, “Hey man! How are you doing?” We all respond with “Fine, how are you?”. We both know that we are lying about our actual well-being. Does the inside match the outside? 

That is what Jesus is getting at here in verse 21. The very next verse, He says, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”

Now, that can be misleading if left alone. So let me be very clear, this is not about works. You cannot earn your salvation. You can’t work hard enough, or be good enough to earn your way to heaven. That only comes through grace, through Jesus Christ. However, He is saying, “Does what’s going on inside match the outside?” The fruit of your life comes from the growth that’s happening inside. Think about a tree or any other kind of plant that has fruit. The fruit appears because there’s growth happening inside the plant. The same is true for us in our spiritual journey! We produce fruit because of the growth that’s going on inside of us. 

James said it this way in James 2, “Faith by itself, if not accompanied by actions, is dead.” Then he goes on to say, “I will show you my faith by what I do.” Then he refers to Abraham a couple of verses later, and says “his faith and actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” Again, the fruit on the outside is coming from the growth that’s happening on the inside. 

So, I have three questions for you today. First, is there fruit in your life? Secondly, do your deeds come from the growth that’s happening inside? It’s possible to do good things from a bad place. Finally, does that fruit point people to Jesus? 

Love you guys,