GOSPEL READING:
Luke 6:43-4943 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 46 "Why do you call me `Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? 47 Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."
Meditation: Why does Jesus set figs and grapes over
against thorns and brambles? The fig tree was the favorite of all
trees for the people of Palestine. It symbolized fertility, peace,
and prosperity. Grapes, likewise, produced wine, the symbol of
joy. Thorns and brambles were only good for burning as fuel for
the fire. There's a proverbial saying that you know a tree by its
fruit. Likewise a person will produce good or bad fruit depending
on what is sown in the heart. Charles Read said: "Sow an act and
you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow
a character and you reap a destiny." Character, like fruit,
doesn't grow overnight. It takes a lifetime.
A healthy and sound mind produces good fruit
Jesus connects soundness with good fruit. Something is sound when
it is free from defect, decay, or disease and is healthy. Good
fruit is the result of sound living - living according to moral
truth and upright character. The prophet Isaiah warned against the
dangers of falsehood: Woe to those who call evil good and good
evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness
(Isaiah 5:20). The fruits of falsehood produce an easy religion
which takes the iron out of religion, the cross out of
Christianity, and any teaching which eliminates the hard sayings
of Jesus, and which push the judgments of God into the background
and makes us think lightly of sin.
How do we avoid falsehood and bad fruit in our lives? By being
true - true to God, his word, and the grace and help he gives us
so we can turn away from evil and wrongdoing. And that takes
character! Those who are true to God know that their strength lies
not in themselves but in God who supplies everything we need to
live as his disciples. The Lord strengthens us with the fruits and
gifts of the Holy Spirit - with faith, hope and love, justice,
prudence, fortitude and temperance. And we grow in godly character
through exercising the gifts and strength which God supplies. Do
you want to bear good fruit in your daily life? Allow the Holy
Spirit to train you in godliness and the wisdom to distinguish
good fruit from bad fruit (1 Timothy 4:7-8, Hebrews 5:14).
What kind of foundation are you building your life?
Jesus told another story about the importance of building on the
right foundation to reinforce his lesson about sound living. When
Jesus told the story of the builders he likely had the following
proverb in mind: When the storm has swept by, the wicked are
gone, but the righteous stand firm for ever (Proverbs
10:25). What's the significance of the story for us? The kind of
foundation we build our lives upon will determine whether we can
survive the storms that are sure to come. Builders usually lay
their foundations when the weather and soil conditions are at
their best. It takes foresight to know how a foundation will stand
up against adverse conditions. Building a house on a flood plain,
such as a dry river-bed, is a sure bet for disaster!
Our character is revealed in the choices we make
Jesus prefaced his story with a warning: We may fool other people
with our speech and gestures, but God cannot be deceived. He sees
the heart as it truly is - with its motives, intentions, desires,
and choices (Psalm 139:2). There is only one way in which a
person's sincerity can be proved, and that is by one's practice.
Fine words can never replace good deeds. Our character is revealed
in the choices we make, especially when we are tested. Do you
cheat on an exam or on your income taxes, especially when it will
cost you? Do you lie, or cover-up, when disclosing the truth will
cause you injury or embarrassment? A true person is honest
and reliable before God, themselves, and their neighbor. Their
word can be counted on. What foundation is your life built upon?
Lord Jesus, you are the sure foundation and source of life and strength for us. Give me wisdom and strength to live according to your truth and to reject every false way. May I be a doer of your word and not a hearer only.
Psalm 113
1 Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD!
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised!
4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down upon the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Scripture is the field where we build our house, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"In a certain place in the Gospel, the Lord says that the wise
hearer of his word ought to be like a man who, wishing to build,
digs rather deeply until he comes to bedrock. There without
anxiety he establishes what he builds against the onrush of a
flood, so that when it comes, rather it may be pushed back by the
solidity of the building than that house collapse by the impact.
Let us consider the Scripture of God as being a field where we
want to build something. Let us not be lazy or content with the
surface. Let us dig more deeply until we come to rock: 'Now the
rock was Christ' (1 Corinthians 10:4)." (excerpt from TRACTATES
ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 23.1)
