Within and Without

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

WITHIN AND WITHOUT

Luke 6:43-45

43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

NIV

Although Jesus talks about trees and fruit this truth has everything to do with the condition of our heart and the resulting words we speak. Of course we can also focus in on the fruit portion, but that is our heart as well. The only way we can bear love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control is if that is what is in our heart. Who we are within our being is who we will be on the outside and what others will experience in our presence. We might think we can build a façade so that people think we are someone we truly are not, but the truth is, it cannot last, for our heart will betray us. We have to live in a manner so that what people see is what people get, our true self, the overflow that comes from our heart. If we have Jesus in our heart than there should be only good fruit which people may enjoy from us. This is a truth which has been revealed to us before. The fruit we bear is not for us, but so that people may pick that fruit from our tree, our heart. It is the other people who benefit from the good fruit our heart bears, and therefore resides in the words of our mouth. It is not who we say we are, but it is who we are. People, who in include those who do not believe yet, see the fruit of our lives, our heart. They can tell we are believers in Jesus Christ by our life, by the words we use, by the manner in which we express ourselves. This is not to say that all non-believers express themselves in an evil manner, as well as believers may express some evil manner from time to time, but if we are truly believers in Christ than we will show it in our lives. Evil will always rear its ugly head in those who do not know Christ at some time, for they too cannot hide completely within a façade. But we must live, allowing Jesus to prune our heart, nourishing it, and producing that good fruit so that is who we are within and without.