Inspecting the Fruit of One's Life

⁴⁶ "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

Luke 6:46-49

The words of Jesus in Luke 6 are telling. While we are told that we are not to judge people (that is the Lord's job); we cannot help but inspect the fruit of what comes from each person's life. When we meet people whose lives are filled with integrity, honesty and commitment to the work of the kingdom of God, it is obvious. Christians whose lives are grounded in faith have an unshakable ability to handle the trials and tribulations of life. Christians get cancer. Tragedy strikes every day in the family of God. But, how one responds to his or her trials and tribulations speaks volumes about a believer's commitment to a personal faith in a living God. Calling upon Jesus as Lord is not enough. On the day of judgment there will be many who cry out, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked..." (Matt. 25) Knowing what to do and doing it are two different things. It is not enough to "know" the answers. How we act and behave makes a difference. Faith has be put into action in one's life. How we live will be the litmus test of what we believe. Where one's heart is focused reveals a person's values. Putting God first and loving your neighbor as yourself is an easy way to make decisions. Every time we put God first, we will be blessed by building on the foundation. When someone builds upon the sand, the results are foolishness. There is no hiding the results. It is like fruit hanging on a tree.