“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.” – Mother Teresa

Who To Trust – The Fruit Series – Part 6

Go to PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  |  PART 4  |  PART 5  |  PART 6

Jesus was talking to his friends, and said:

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” (Matt 7:15-20).

Sometimes it's hard to know a vicious wolf from a trustworthy friend, such is the world today (and has always been). I’ve had my trust broken. I’ve been betrayed. I’ve been let down. I know you guys have, too. So how do we know who to follow? Who to trust? Who to listen to? Who to give a chance? Who to take a risk on? Step out in faith with?

The Message Bible puts it this way:

“Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook.“

We all have bad moments. Gosh, I have MANY of them up my sleeve. We all make bad decisions. We all flesh-out at times. But what do you return to? What is threaded through your life? The lives of those around you? Of those who influence you?

Good “fruit” is ultimately the result of much room we give love in our lives. Paul said that the fruit of the spirit (the fruit of love) is:

Joy.
Peace.
Patience.
Kindness.
Goodness.
Faithfulness.
Gentleness.
Self-control.
Love (it's generative).

So if you’re wondering who to follow, who to trust, who to give your ear and your heart to, look for these things. Look for love. Ask yourself how the fruit of their lives makes you feel. Does it sit well with your gut and heart? Is it permeating and cultivating love and hope? Or is it sowing fear and cynicism and division?

And look, it's not about perfection. It’s not being 100% good 100% of the time. These things look like good fruit, too:
Forgiveness, confession, taking responsibility, owning our anger and pride, working through our misconceptions and assumptions, opening our heart to listen and learn, saying sorry, uprooting bitterness, telling the truth, being vulnerable, choosing empathy, humility…

One last thing: Toxic ideologies and practices and situations have a way of being found out and undoing themselves in the end. They are usually the result of ill health in the heart that needs to be attended to and healed.

If you come across “bad fruit,” or if you find some in your own life, mark the spot and pray for the gardener to come. Pray that some gentle (or drastic) pruning will take place. And do what you do for any diseased plant: nurture it, feed it well, water it.

Pray for grace and healing (because that would be the fruit of love in your life, right?) And remember that when something gets cut down and removed, it almost always makes way for something new and beautiful to grow in its place.

Written by Lizzy Milani
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