15Jul16

Matthew 7:16 ESV
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

I've heard a lot of people, in a joking and sometimes in a serious way, say, "don't you judge me." The Bible is very clear that it truly isn't our place to judge another person who has not been placed under your Godly authority. However, we still have to live with people every day. People who would hurt us, help us, support us, or destroy us based on their character. So, how do we "judge" who someone is without "judging" them? It's all in the fruit.

The fruit of someone's heart, their character, is found in their actions and responses. The good thing about fruit is that it's easily identifiable if you spend the time to look for it. Fruit is also fact, not opinion. An apple is an apple. Fact. When you look at the actions of someone and hold it to the model of Scripture you find the apples. At that point it isn't about judging whether someone is good or bad. Doing good or doing bad. It's just a matter of apples and oranges. Do they produce the fruit of a Godly lifestyle or are they producing something else? What kind of fruit are you producing today?