What Kind of Tree Are You?
What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?Where do you go when you're feeling confined?
What do you do when fear is nipping at your heels?
How do you combat depression?
How do you respond to interruption?
What is the main "mood" that marks most of your days?
How do you respond to family members who are in need?
How do your respond to strangers who are in need?
How do you think others perceive you?
Do you consider yourself to be a generous person?
Would others say you are genuine?
When is the last time you belly-laughed?
How much disappointment can you put up with from someone you love?
How patient are you?
Do you finish what you start?
Do other people seek out your friendship?
Can you keep a secret?
How do you strike up conversation?
Are you often the center of attention?
Can you control your impulse to overspend and overindulge?
Have you ever been called a gossip?
What is the driving force behind your decisions?
What do you think of the word, "humility"?
"You're slowing me down!" or "How can I help you?"
Do you know what season it is? Are you willing to weather it with grace?
For a quick check on how you qualify, check your fruit by referencing Galatians 5:13-26. Here's a direct link:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5%3A13-26&version=NIV
For more information read below:
In the book of Genesis, Adam & Even were introduced to two special trees. One was the Tree of Life. The other was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were instructed to eat as much of any of the greet fruit bearing trees that they wanted and also as much as they wished from the Tree of Life but to avoid the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Most of us know how that story unfolded. When they chose to disregard this one simple warning, they opened themselves up to the consequences of poor choices. Genesis 3:8 seems to imply that God had wanted them to eat steadily from the Tree of Life and rely upon Him daily for wisdom and guidance about how to conduct themselves. I believe He wanted them to spend time with Him and let Him pour his wisdom into them day by day.
There is also a letter in the Bible from the apostle Paul to the churches in Galatia that references fruit. Part of the letter is referenced above in the link. The peoplewere getting confused and having a hard time because they kept getting into arguments over what qualified them as "good christians". They were arguing over whether it was keeping certain religious traditions or rules that qualified them or was it simply confessing their sins and asking Christ into their hearts. Paul tackled the question in his letter but really cut down to the heart of the matter in chapter 5. He explained that christians should draw on the Spirit of God and not from other sources (people / human ideas) and that behaviors will demonstrate where people are drawing their strength and ideology from. He explains that the byproduct of what we "feed" off of will be a pretty obvious indication of where we stand spiritually.
Whenever I have questioned someone's motives I am often reminded of this chapter of the Bible and I will think, "Watch their fruit. You will know a tree by it's fruit." Even when I question my own motives, I think of this passage as I scrutinize my thoughts and behaviors. If I am a tree, then allegorically, fruit is what I produce in life. What is coming out of me? Is it the kind of things that represents God well, nurtures those around me or is it the kind of words and behavior that push them down, cause them to stumble or leave them wanting? Are my thoughts bitter or sweet; selfish or unselfish? Is what I am giving true and real or is it synthetic? And, Is it the best I have to offer?
Here's another way to think about it:
If I have a choice between a strawberry pop-tart in the morning and whole grain cereal with fresh strawberries on top, both may contain some of the same ingredients but which is most true? Which is most good? Am I offering what is most true and most good to myself and others? The truth is that over time, if I keep choosing the pop-tart there will be negative consequences to pay because the poptart is really not real food. It isn't designed to nourish me but to simply fill me and satisfy me for a short time. It is loaded with too much sugar and preservatives. Over time that can lead to health problems. The same is true of so many ideas out there in our culture about how to make choices in life...how to behave and where to place your priorities.
My Mom used to have a bowl on our table that contained fruit in it but it was all plastic fruit. They looked very real. I can't tell you how many times I witnessed nieces and nephews grab for grapes or bananas or apples only to be very disappointed. If you claim to follow Christ, don't disappoint people. Give them what is true and good and best - not an immitation. And, if you are hungry for something good and real in your life...don't settle for a cheap immitation.
If you realize that you are having trouble bearing good fruit in your life, don't worry. There is a solution! Get rooted and grounded in God's love. Spend time reading His words. Trust Him and trust the advice the Bible gives about life. We all know rich people who are empty on the inside and poor people who are full on the inside.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
6That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
