The Fruit Reveals the Roots
READ
Have you ever wondered why some people's faith seems so genuine while others feel like they're just going through the motions? In today’s scripture, Jesus gives us a simple but profound way to tell the difference.
Let’s take a moment to read Matthew 7:16-20:
"You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."
REFLECT
Jesus isn't being harsh here—He's being honest. He's giving us a diagnostic tool, a way to evaluate not just others but ourselves. What's growing in your life? What are you producing? Because the fruit always reveals the root. You can't fake fruit forever. You might be able to maintain appearances for a season, but eventually, what's really inside you will show up in what comes out of you.
This is why good work requires good character. You can have all the skills, all the opportunities, all the right connections, but if your character is compromised—if the root system is diseased—the fruit will eventually reflect that. You might produce impressive results for a while, but they won't be sustainable, and they won't be truly good.
Think about it in practical terms. A thornbush doesn't wake up one morning and decide to produce grapes. It can't. It's not in its nature. The fruit is determined by the root. Similarly, our actions, our reactions, our habits, and our impact flow naturally from who we are at our core. This is why trying to change behavior without addressing character is like trying to tape grapes onto a thornbush—it might look right from a distance, but it's not real, and it won't last.
So what does good fruit look like in a human life? It's more than just activity or accomplishment. Good fruit is transformation that lasts. It's kindness that flows naturally, not forced politeness. It's integrity when no one's watching, not just compliance when you might get caught. It's patience that comes from deep peace, not gritted teeth. It's generosity that springs from gratitude, not obligation.
Good fruit is also relational. It makes the people around you better. Your family is more peaceful because you're in it. Your workplace has more integrity because you're there. Your church is more loving because you show up. When Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—notice that these are all qualities that bless others, not just the person who possesses them.
This is what makes good work actually good. It's not just productivity; it's fruit that nourishes others. It meets real needs. It creates genuine transformation. It leaves people and places better than you found them. And it flows from a healthy root system—a character that's been cultivated, pruned, and deeply connected to the right source.
Here's the challenging part: healthy trees don't happen by accident. They require the right environment, consistent nourishment, and sometimes painful pruning. You can't produce good character fruit while your roots are planted in shallow soil, drawing from broken cisterns, disconnected from the life-giving source.
This is where the themes we've been exploring all connect. When you're rooted in God—when you're drinking daily from the spring of living water—your character naturally begins to reflect that source. Grace received becomes grace expressed. Love experienced becomes love extended. Peace cultivated becomes peace shared.
But when you're running on empty, trying to produce fruit through sheer willpower or external pressure, you end up exhausted and the fruit shows it. Your kindness has an edge. Your service feels like obligation. Your faith feels inauthentic because you're trying to produce grapes while rooted in thornbushes.
Jesus says we'll recognize people by their fruits. That means others are recognizing you by yours. When people watch your life—and they are watching—what do they see growing? What's the evidence of what's really rooted in your heart?
This isn't about performing for others or manufacturing impressive results. It's about getting honest with yourself about what your life is actually producing. Are you seeing the fruit of the Spirit growing in your character? Are the people closest to you experiencing more love, peace, and patience because they're in relationship with you? Is your community genuinely better because you're part of it?
If the answer is "not really" or "not as much as I'd like," that's not a reason for shame—it's an invitation to tend to your roots. Maybe you've been so focused on trying to produce fruit that you've neglected the root system. Maybe you've been drawing from sources that can't actually nourish sustainable growth. Maybe it's time to get radically honest about what's really feeding your soul and make some changes.
The beautiful truth is that when you're properly rooted, fruit becomes natural. Not effortless—healthy trees still require care—but organic. The goodness flows from who you're becoming, not from what you're trying to prove.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
If you were to honestly assess the "fruit" your life is producing right now, what would you say is growing? What does that reveal about your "root system"?
In what areas of your life are you trying to manufacture good fruit through willpower rather than cultivating good character? How's that working?
Who in your life models what good fruit from a healthy root looks like? What can you learn from how they've cultivated their character?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Jesus, thank You for the reminder that fruit reveals the root. Help me stop trying to tape artificial fruit onto my life and instead focus on cultivating deep, healthy roots in You. Show me where my character needs Your transforming work, and give me the patience to let that transformation happen naturally as I stay connected to You. May my life produce fruit that truly nourishes others and points them to You. Amen.