Words to Treasure
YYou can tell each tree by its fruit.
Matthew 7:16
I thought you were my friend.” Owen fidgeted in the seat waiting to talk to the principal.
“I am.” Jack drummed his fingers on his leg.
“Then why did you hide your fireworks in my locker? Now, I’m in trouble.” Owen couldn’t believe this was happening. His parents were coming, and he was innocent in all of this. Jack stretched. “Now, I’m in trouble because you told them the fireworks were mine.”
Owen was speechless for a moment. “They are yours! I should never have given you my locker combination. You used me and my locker.”
“Well,” Jack yawned, “you told on me. What kind of friend does that make you?”
“I don’t think we’re friends anymore.” Owen moved over to a chair on the other side of the office.
Jesus warned us that you can tell the character of a person, not by what they say but by what they do. Actions speak louder than words. Is Jack a good friend? Not really. His actions tell a whole different story. When making friends, look for the people who do right things, because they are what they say they are.
Jesus asked an important question: Do you get figs from vines or grapes from thorn bushes? Nope. You can tell what kind of tree it is by the fruit it grows. A good person does right things and a bad person does bad things — what they do is their fruit. (See Matthew 7:16 – 19.)