ASLC Devotions-Saturday

Luke 6:43-45

43 [Jesus said,] ‘No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not
gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good,
and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

I’ve tried to grow fruit trees in my back yard. Apple, cherry, anything that would make a good pie. Every one of them either died or gave poor fruit, so I grow berries and vegetables instead. But this verse isn’t about fruit trees, it’s about us. The short version is, we show our true colors (what’s in
our hearts) by what we do and say.

That’s why I’m leery of sticking a fish on my car or wearing a really obvious cross — am I making Jesus look bad if I cut someone off in traffic or forget to be nice at work?

In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron, the evil one, doesn’t appear physically so he speaks through someone else, called the Mouth of Sauron (and what a disgusting mouth it is, too). In real life, Jesus is the good guy and he can speak through us. But what comes out of our mouths when we talk — something fruitful?

Every day we make choices about what we allow into our lives and into our hearts. Lent (the word means “lengthen”) gives us another chance to think about it and turn again to the growing light.

Linda Foltz

For more information on all of our ministries, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org. Remember to join us this Sunday morning for worship at 8:30 and 11. Education Hour for all ages at 9:45.