Matthew 7:17-19 "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth

evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." When I read these verses, something interesting came to my mind. I would like to begin with something to tie this verse into. As we all know, our world, our society, our community, and everything in our life is dependent upon something else. We all know that in the absence of things needed or required negative effects or reactions are produced. For example, when we do not eat, we become hungry, and if we continue to go without food, our body will eventually begin to eat from the fat reserves that it has stored throughout the years. If the body is still without outside nourishment, the body will begin eating from the muscles, and eventually our organs which will ultimately result in our death. However, if we are able to start eating before we die, we can stop the self destructive process before our body dies, and eventually reverse this process that it may yield a positive and desired outcome. The same thing applies with a plant. If you water it and allow it to be exposed to sunshine, it will grow. If you leave it in a dark room desolate, it will eventually die. What I noticed with these two verses is that these two separate trees were dependent upon a source of nourishment. Without the nourishment, neither of these trees would have grown to produce fruit. These trees could only obtain nourishment from only one of two places. This is how it is for every single person in this world today. Every person will either obtain their nourishment from God, or from the devil and the world. The tree that we are depends upon who we are choosing to get our nourishment from. Plants obtain nourishment by absorbing water through their roots. If no water gets to the root of the plant it ends up dying. If the plant does get water it will end up thriving. Now does this mean once we are either a good tree or a bad tree that we are forever fixed as that type of tree? Of course not! We see that King Saul was once a good man. Therefore we were able to once label him as a good tree. He used to do what God wanted from Him. However, King Saul regarded iniquity within his heart and therefore the Lord did not answer His prayers(Psalm 66:18). People who were around King Saul were able to see the evil fruit that was growing. Saul rejected the commandments of God(1 Samuel 13:13), he tried to kill David(1 Samuel 18:11), and even tried to kill his own son Jonathan(1 Samuel 20:30-33)! The very same Saul who was once described as a goodly man(1 Samuel 9:2), the very same Saul who vowed not to kill his son's friend David(1 Samuel 19:4-6), is the same Saul who God repented of setting up as king(1 Samuel 15:11). It's safe to say that these fruits of evil came forth because of Saul's disobedience to God's specific commands. As the word of God is absorbed into us by our roots (which I am equating to our minds and hearts,) there is a transforming effect within us. Jesus says in Revelation 21:6 "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Notice that we need to be thirsting for the water of life if we are to receive it. That is, we need to recognize our need, and respond to that need by coming to Jesus. When we are receiving our nourishment from someone or something other than Jesus, we are obtaining it from the devil or the world. There is no middle ground(See Matthew 12:30). Some may think that because they feel as if they are "self-sufficient" that they do not need to drink from the fountain of the water of life. The saying that frequently goes along with this attitude is, "I will do it later when it is more convenient for me or, Maybe when I am older" or, "Umm... not right now" which is the same exact thing Felix said in Acts 24:25. People may think there will always be time to change but there will come a time when change will no longer be possible.

Amos 8:11-13 says "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst." A time will come where Jesus will say, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still"(Revelation 22:11). At this point in time it will be too late to change one's source of nourishment. Right now, which is this very present moment in time, is the time where we are able to change our source of nourishment. Right now each person is being nourished by either Jesus or Satan. Right now there are habitual practices of either rejecting Christ or accepting and abiding in Christ. There will come a time where one of the two practices will become forever fixed into our characters and lifestyles. We will either be, "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season"(Psalm 1:3) or "like the chaff which the wind driveth away"(Psalm 1:4), which is comparable to the ash the evil tree will become when it is "hewn down, and cast into the fire"(Matthew 7:19). My prayer for all of us is to practice self-examination every moment which is best done by comparing ourselves to Jesus. The only way we will know what Jesus is like will be by reading His word. If after examining yourself you see that you are bearing evil fruit, do not give yourself over to despair. Rather, give praise to the Lord, for you have identified a harmful habit that God can help you overcome. Once you have recognized what the problem is and admit your need of help, God has promised to answer you(Jeremiah 33:3). Remember, God is on your side to help you. He is waiting to provide you with mercy(the forgiveness) and grace(the power to overcome evil) at the times that you need it(Hebrews 4:16). The mission of Jesus was to bring sinners to repentance(which is a sorrow for sin that leads to turning away from it) and to save them from being lost(Matthew 9:13, Matthew 19:10). The Bible lets us know that God pities us just like a father would have pity upon his young son who is prone to make mistakes (Psalm 103:13). All that you need to do after you have realized your sinful condition is to come to Jesus as you are in prayer(Matthew 11:28) and ask(Matthew 7:7) for the forgiveness of your past sins(1 John 1:9) and the power of His grace to keep you faithful and obedient(Romans 1:5, 2 Corinthians 9:8). Then, you must exercise faith by believing and then acting as if you have been forgiven and have been given the power to overcome your sins(Romans 4:17-22). This means that you do not beat yourself up for your mistakes because your feelings tell you that you are still guilty. Such an act is a confirmation that you are not exercising faith in order to claim the promises of God which we all so desperately need. Do not allow Satan to whisper foolishness into your mind. God's promises are always true and it is our exalted privilege to claim them by exercising faith. A complete change can be made in your life right this moment. You can be a completely new person, a completely new tree. God does not lie(Titus 1:2). Will you believe and act on His promises?