“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45
Living in LA is tough, especially dealing with traffic and all those “unqualified to drive!” If there ever was a pet peeve of mine, driving without being conscious of one’s surroundings is definitely one of them. I would regularly yell aloud in my car in expressing my frustrations, “Come on, the light is green!” One day I was at a stop light when the car in front of me was waiting his turn to turn left to enter the intersection when I heard a loud voice erupting from the back seat, “Come on stupid, the light is green!” To my horror, those indignant words came from my sweet, little girl. I was mortified, what a bad daddy…
I had to face the fact that those words did come from me- that I had said what I meant, that they are the fruit of the anger I carry with me. And there is a connection with my words with my heart. You can not solve the problem by removing my daughter or the car in front of me at the stop light or by removing all the cars in the world for that matter- the problem is my heart and the solution can only be resolved there.
In Jesus’ illustration, the roots of the tree is equal to the heart. They are underground and cannot be seen much like a person’s heart. But Jesus’ point is that the type of fruit the tree has is based upon the roots it has- We speak and act the way we do because of what is in our own hearts! I love the line from Batman Begins, “It’s not who is underneath but what I do that defines me.”
In many ways, we do not want to accept this reality but rather blame others and circumstances for our actions. But here Jesus is asking us to humbly accept the responsibility for our actions. The circumstances and the people only serve as the occasion to reveal our true heart.
The heart is the problem- it is the source of all sin, “The heart is more deceitful than all else. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9) It is not enough to alter our behavior or remove ourselves from the situation. Christ wants to conqueror our hearts! He transforms people by radically changing their hearts. If the heart is not transformed, the person’s words and behaviors may change because of external pressure or incentive but once they are removed, the changes disappear as well.
Jesus criticized the Pharisees, “You just don’t get it, it is not about external behaviors, it is about your hearts!” In many of our attempts we try to change behavior, change our habits while ignoring the heart. We threaten, we manipulate, we try guilt, raise our voices but the change never lasts. Once the outside pressure wanes, the behavior reverts to what it was before. The body simply goes where the heart leads.
Look into your own heart. Is it being conformed into Christ each day? Does your speech and actions reflect those of our sweet Lord? Confess and abide in His steps beginning today.
I apologize for not sending these devotionals more frequently as of late. I know many of you appreciate the ministry through these simple devotionals, but with being away and other ministry obligations, I have been delayed. I will try to commit to get them out regularly as I can. I pray they will continue to devote your hearts toward Christ everyday. May God bless you richly.
Pastor Sung