Wednesday 22 Jun 2022

June 22: Matthew 7:15-20

Key Verse: Matthew 7:17
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Devotion:
How do you recognise bad people? Is it not from seeing or hearing the bad things they do or say? It is very easy to make wrong assumptions about people just by meeting them once, but as you get to know them better by being with them, their true colours will show through. Jesus had the advantage of being able to know the people before He met them in person but we do not have that luxury!

The same could be said about fruit trees – if you do not know the fruit trees by sight, you have to wait until they bear fruit before you will recognise them; that takes time. We may start out by thinking we know the fruit tree and tend to it as best we know how, then be disappointed when we get to know the truth about what kind of tree it is. Some fruit trees will not bear fruit unless they are cared for in the right manner…

We are going to meet some people in our lives whom we think are good and righteous people, but when we get to know them by being with them for long enough, we will find out the truth about what sort of people they actually are. God wants us to be wary of the people who act good but who are not good inside because they may fool us in the beginning and we may only find out the truth when it is too late!

To navigate this minefield of good and bad in our lives we need to have someone to guide us so we can avoid the bad and evil where possible. The Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to do that for us – but to gain from this relationship we need to listen to Him! Bring the Holy Spirit closer into your life and allow Him to guide you in the best ways forward.

Points to Ponder:
How do you tell good from bad?

Will you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you?