Day Nine- Are You a Tree That Gives Life?

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives- Proverbs 11:30
 
Our church family sometimes drops by with the their recent picks from their garden. Juicy red tomatoes and juicy corn has graced our front doorstep on many occasions. Hungry for corn, I began to tear off the outside layer, only to find a gross worm had eaten some of them. As I chose each ear from the bag, I never knew what I was going to find once I tore off the outer covering. Some of it was good, some was good enough to eat (but part had to be cut off) and some was so destroyed it wasn’t wise to consume.
 
All throughout Scripture we are called to bear fruit. Our words and actions reap a harvest in our lives as well as the lives of others’ lives—some of it is bad and some of it good. When a planter plants seeds in the soil, he never knows which seeds will produce a healthy crop and which ones will not because they all look the same. But God promises that if you are living a righteous life you will always bear fruit and that your fruit will be like a tree that gives life. There is no guessing whether what they will reap from their labors will be aligned with God or not; God is faithful to bless the fruits of those whose words and actions are made with good intentions, not bad ones.
 
It is interesting to note the connection between wisdom and righteousness as well. I know many good hearted, well- meaning Christians who on the outside look like Christians, but their actions don’t produce fruit, but rather worms that devour the good fruit. Just as I couldn’t tell which ear of corn would be good and which one would be bad just by looking at it, so it is with people who call themselves Christians, but whose lives prove otherwise. 
 
Who do you know ho bears good fruit? How do you know this? What could you do to ensure you are known as someone who bears fruit, and gives life?