Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
John Kenneth Galbraith said, “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” Even though this might be viewed as for the political far-right, be assured that this selfish and self-righteous view is practiced by all people, regardless of belief or political persuasion.
We cannot hide who we are or what we practice. Our fruit will eventually blossom into the works of the Lord, or will become a monument of self-righteousness. One can pretend to be religious, but one cannot fake a relationship with God. Whoever we are, our character will eventually reveal itself. A fool can walk in the way that appears Godly, and outwardly, might look like they are doing well, and may even look intelligent (if he keeps his mouth shut). Still, his folly will betray him because folly is who he is in his heart, and who a person is in their heart will manifest as utter foolishness. Eccl. 10:3 Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
If a person is walking in Ignorance, they can change their direction when true wisdom is presented. They can then walk in the way of God’s wisdom because they are no longer ignorant of the transgression or deception they have been walking in. A fool is presented with the same wisdom and chooses to remain stupid because the fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” or “I know better than God.” Stay away from fools lest you adopt their folly. Also, realize you cannot change a fool’s thoughts, because their thoughts are their god. I heard someone say, “Trying to save someone from their own stupidity is fighting nature itself.” Prov. 15:14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. The very meals that fools feed on are a diet of foolishness. How can anyone but God break through the fool’s existence of choice?
The Bible has many accounts of fools who died in their foolishness. To this day, they are known and preached about as examples of those who practised nonsense and stupidity. We can clearly see that by their fruit we do know them. There was a man named Nabal who was described as being harsh, evil, crude, mean and churlish. That is a description of someone who just doesn’t get it. 1Sam. 25:3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. The contrast in the description of his wife’s intelligence, good understanding, ability to be discerning, and wisdom adds to the validity that Nabal’s chosen life of folly was evident to everyone. Nabal was known by what his name came to mean. 1Sam. 25:25b For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! This man had to be rescued by his wife from being killed. Nabal had insulted and disrespected David’s men, who were protecting Nabal’s land and livestock. David and his men were on their way to kill Nabal when Abigail stepped in and gave David all and more of what he had originally asked for, thus saving Nabal’s life.
Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests whose numerous offences included extortion and graft. 1Sam. 2:12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they did not respect the LORD. God warned Eli to explain the consequences to his sons if they continued to do evil concerning the work in God’s temple. 1Sam. 2:17 Thus, the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt. Their reputation caused the people to hate bringing sacrifices to God, or having anything to do with the Temple worship 1Sam 2:17 Therefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. In a modern concept, the fruit of Hophni and Phinehas’ lives caused people to hate going to or having anything to do with going to church. What fruit is manifesting from your life? Is it causing people to want to find God, or run away from Him?
The Apostle John had to deal with an account of foolishness that got out of hand. The pastor of an assembly in Asia Minor had allowed his character to descend to a place where he thought he had a preeminent position in the church. 3John 1:9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. What had Satan tempted this pastor with? Was it words like, “You do not have to be under the authority of John and James. Surely you know more than all those apostles put together. Don’t let anyone take what is yours.” The temptation of stealing God’s glory is real. Satan himself was thrown out of heaven for the very thing he was tempting Diotrephes with. John had to deal with the foolishness Diotrephes had caused. 3John 1:10 This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome fellow believers, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church. The ego and pride of life will always take away what gives us life. Diotrephes, seeking preeminence, ultimately reaped corrupt fruit, and that is how he is remembered. This is the sadness of choosing stupidity over God’s wisdom.
We are all going to be judged one day for our works and our hypocrisies, as everything will go through the fire of cleansing. 1Cor. 3:13 Their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. By our fruit we will be known, and it will define what we found valuable in Christ. The fruit we produce today will determine the harvest of our future. Let us walk on God’s path and realize that by our fruit we will be known by man and God. Matt. 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Let us eat from the tree of life, and live in His love.
The Lord is great. Thank you for encouraging us so, during the Next Steps class.
It is so very necessary to know who I am in Christ!! The truth of the Word has set us free. Thank you for calling me sis. He is the Healer. Has your shoulder eased? Yes let us eat from the tree of life, and live in His love! No foolishness. In Jesus name. Amen
Michael says your class was very good, helpful and informative . Love you and your blog I am so grateful to reconnect with you Sir Norm. You are a light on the hilltop… Michael and Denise Pinder
Yes, my shoulder is much better, and thank you for praying sis:) Blessings