This week's devotion is from Sarah Acunzo.

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 thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

This passage starts by talking about fruit trees and then transitions into human character and behavior. Line 45 says: "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart." Our words and actions show our true heart and character to the world. Therefore, following the fruit metaphor, a good person who has good character says and does good things and the opposite is true for a bad person.

The fact that a fruit tree, a growing, living entity, is being used as the metaphor though and not something non-living, such as a chair or a house, leads me to believe that Luke was implying the possibility of and the encouragement for growth and change.

If a fruit tree isn't taken care of well enough one year, it might not bear good fruit. All is not lost though. One simply needs to try again next year and pay special attention to the fruit tree. Is it planted in good soil? Does it need fertilizer? Does it need more water?

The same is true for ourselves. If we have done or said things that we regret, we have the potential for growth and to try again. This is where we need to do some self reflection. Where inside of us did those words or actions that we regret come from? Are they attached to beliefs that we need to let go of in order to be more like Jesus? We have the ability to assess the situation, examine our hearts and character and make changes where needed so we can bear healthier fruit and be better people in the world.

Dear Lord,
Help us to examine our own hearts and character and through our words and actions.  Help us to change to follow your will in ways that will help those around us.
Amen.