We all have “fruit”…the question is what kind?

  Probing Proverbs 13:15-17 
A person with good sense is respected; a treacherous person is headed for destruction. Wise people think before they act; fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness. An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing.

One of the greatest Truths taught in the book of Proverbs is that every lifestyle that is lived produces a “fruit.” This is inescapable! Whether that lifestyle is based on righteousness or evil, it will produce “fruit.” There are so many things in this world we cannot control, however, the fruit of our life is one thing for sure that we not only control, but also are responsible for! Be careful here, I am talking about what our life produces, not how others react to it. The fruit of your life can be outstanding, yet if others hate what you believe in, the very same fruit will bring persecution!

We must make a willful decision (conscious living) that what we will focus on will be the fruit, not the world’s reaction to it. At the end of the day, what should matter most is what does God think about our fruit because in the scope of eternity only His                                                            opinion matters! 

This passage describes fruit for two lifestyles, one guided by godly wisdom, the other guided by sin.

A life that lives sensibly reaps admiration; a life that is unfaithful (treacherous) will experience failure in eternal matters. Individuals that walk in wisdom experience the fruit of conscious living, while those that live foolishly end up defending their foolishness and experience arrogant living. This is the BIG difference between believers and unbelievers. Both sin! What is different is how they handle that sin, the child of God regrets and repents, the person of the world justifies and defends their sin. When a person is honest…which includes mercy and love…they bring restoration to relationships. When people are self-serving caring only for themselves, they leave brokenness in their wake!

Don’t pass by this passage, stop and meditate a while!

The So What: When was the last time you did an evaluation of the fruit of your life? Do you have someone in your life that can help you examine the fruit of your life? Does your life “just happen, or do you live your life consciously?