“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. Matthew 12:33
Bill and Bette had no idea what the little farm they had just purchased would one day become. The year was 1953 and the young couple couldn’t wait to start planting sweet corn in the fertile soil of Southern New Jersey. Bill started selling that corn from the back of a wagon, and as the family grew, so did the farm. From corn to apple trees, peach trees, cherry trees, blueberries and all kinds of vegetables – Bill knew that to produce good fruit he would need good trees, and he went to great lengths to maintain and care for them. Today, large buildings stand on that corner, comprised of acres and acres of farm, offering a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford, New Jersey has become an agricultural destination with folks traveling from as far as New York City, Philadelphia, and beyond.
Jesus told all who would listen that people were like fruit trees and you would know a tree was good or bad by the kind of fruit it produced. The Apostle Paul tells us that you and I will “produce all kinds of good fruit” as we grow in the knowledge of God and His Grace. It’s in the fertility of the Gospel that you and I will flourish as we allow our roots to go down deep in the truth that we have been made right with God through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ.
In Colossians 1:23, Paul also tells us that we must “continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it” and to not “drift away from the assurance we received when we heard the Good News.”
Today, let your fruit grow as you stand firmly planted in the Good News.