Through Their Fruit, You Will Recognize Them

"Watch out for False Prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "

Matthew 7:15-20

    We know from scripture that when someone says a person is known by the type of fruit they bear, we can equate it to Galatians 5-22-23: "But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. Against such things there is no law. " A spiritually fruit is a character trait that is pleasing to God, a list of 9 actions that we as Christians need to strive to have more of in our lives. So when Jesus warns his followers against false prophets, people who look like they are doing all the right things, but are inwardly wolves in wool, he is telling directly to look for the fruit they produce when they are not speaking publicly or in a crowd. Do they show love to their fellow man? Are they generous in their giving towards people in need? Do they refrain from anger when something gets under their skin? Jesus is not saying that every leader or prophet who has a platform is bad. What he is telling us is that we can get so caught up in living right when people are watching, that we tend to compromise our lives in private. We must ask God to strengthen us and grow in us a spirit of discernment toward the actions and behaviours of the people around us. We need to be aware of the bad fruit growing in our own lives, and ask for the courage and grace to remove them and replace them with the good things Jesus himself exhibited while on the earth. 

    People don't look for grapes among thornbushes, or figs among thistles. So when we begin to grow the good fruits in our lives, and our whole life begins to change, people will notice. Not because we have made a spectacle of them, but because they will be real and genuine and people will be drawn to it.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on  A Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount