Being a Good Tree

A few Good Men

Read: Matthew 7 : 13 - 20

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Being a Good Tree

Life is a choice. We can choose to be a good tree or to be a bad tree. Few people choose to be a good tree, for it is hard and full of trials. A good tree needs nourishment, needs trimming and needs grafting ones in a while. But a bad tree grows on its own, though it needs nourishment but it doesn’t requires trimming and grafting, it wants to be left alone on its own accord. He is the master of his soul, the captain of his ship. That's why many people chooses to be a bad tree rather than being a good tree.

But many are deceived, they are swayed by this charismatic leader, compassionate pastor and generous father. That's why many chooses to follow them, but if we will look in closer to their lives, we will see that they are but a ravenous wolves, seeking to destroy the sheep's lives rather than save them.

So how do we know a good tree from a bad tree? And what's the benefit of being a good tree? Let me share with you how we can know a good tree from a bad tree and what is in it for us to be a good tree.

A Good Tree Bears Good Fruit

It is as simple as this, it doesn't get any clearer than this. If we are a good tree, we will bear good fruit. But we can only be a good tree if we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we can only have the Holy Spirit in our lives if we have Jesus in our hearts. Because if Jesus is in our hearts, the Holy Spirit will be sent to us and through the Holy Spirit we can bear a good fruit.

 With the Holy Spirit in our lives we will delight in reading and meditating the Word of the Lord day and night, and since we now delights in the Word of God. we are liken in a tree protected by the Lord, provided with its nourishments and capable of producing a good fruit.

 "He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, And whatever he does shall prosper." - Psalms 1:3

A Good Tree Cannot Bear a Bad Fruit

If we truly have Jesus in our hearts and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, it is impossible for us to bear a bad fruit. In the same manner an apple tree cannot suddenly choose to bear an orange fruit and vice versa. It was decided early on that as an apple tree it can only bear an apple fruit.

A good tree begins as a single seed, born from a single fruit, which in turn comes from a good tree as well. A good tree is planted by The Great Farmer on a good soil by the rivers of water. But a bad tree is planted by The Bad Farmer and was left to rot and burned.

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." - Matthew 7:19

A Good Tree is Known By Their Fruits

If we are a good tree, Planted by the Great farmer in a good soil by the rivers of water, the natural tendency is for us to produce a good fruit. For we are known to be good tree if the fruit we bear are good.

And we can only bear good fruit if the Holy Spirit is with us. We must be careful to observe if the fruit we are bearing is a good fruit. The good thing is since we area good tree we can also know what a good fruit is. And the bible tells us the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

Being a Good Tree

PERSONAL APPLICATION

We can be a good tree only when we made the choice. Here are some practical tips on how we can choose to be a good tree.

1. Choose to have Jesus in your heart - there are no other way, the holy spirit which produces the good fruit can only dwells within us if we have Jesus in our lives.
2. Choose to delight and meditate in God's Word - we can only be bear a good fruit if we ourselves is a good tree. A good tree is Planted by the rivers of waters.
3. Choose to bear a good fruit - bearing a good fruit which comes from the Holy Spirit is a daily decision we must make. We can show the world, with the quality of our fruit, to whom we belong.