I have been reading through the book of Matthew for the second time this year and it continues to reveal things in my life that challenge me. I was reading in Matthew 12:33
“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.”
In America today we are in an identity crisis. We are looking to be identified by a lot of different things. We want to be identified by our jobs, homes, clothes, friends, families, trends and bank accounts. Jesus speaking here doesn’t talk about any of those things but he talks about our fruit. He is talking about what is our life producing or even better reproducing. Are we just going through life focusing on ourselves or growing fruit for the benefit for others. I don’t know about you but I want to be identified as someone who did not just live for myself but lived for God so I could serve others. I love the fact that in the book of Acts that Paul and Barnabas were living for others out in the community and because of this, they were identified as Christians because of the fact they looked like Christ.
Are you and I just adopting the name Christian or are we being identified as a Christ follower because of the fruit of our life?