If you following along on our Facebook page, you saw this teaser:

What do these three have in common?

Fruit trees.

Hearts.

Sentences.

The teaser was for a series of posts surrounding this scripture:

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

The below post is the series of posts combined into one central location.

Our language, our words, our syllables and sentences display the health of our heart. While in the thick of it, it is easier to blame others for what flies out of our mouth. People and situations do not dictate what we say. Our heart does. Trees produce fruit, and our hearts produce behavior. Consider recent situations. How did you respond? What were your reactions?

There is an organic connection between the root and the fruit.  We cannot expect roots of a banana tree to produce a grapes, right? This scripture teaches us that in the same way roots eventually produce fruit, our heart eventually produces our language. Consider recent conversations. What did your words indicate about your heart?

Funny thing about roots, they are hidden beneath the soil. Usually they are buried and not easily understood. Because of this, the issues of the heart can go unaddressed and unacknowledged because they are unseen. Yet still, the fruit of our words reveals what is going on in the root of our heart. Consider what you've been saying. Do your words have a particular bent?

In many ways we deny the connection between our heart and our words, our heart and our behavior. We find circumstance easier to blame. We find the actions of others easier to blame. We find the struggle of it all easier to blame. But here in Luke, Jesus invites us to humbly accept responsibility for our own language and actions. Consider your conversations. What is easier to blame than to inwardly examine?

Remember, there is an organic connection between our heart and our words. If your words are sharp or critical, that reveals an issue of the heart. If your words are negative and sarcastic, that reveals a heart issue. If your words flow from anger, impatience, bitterness, rejection or wounding, the heart needs attention. Are your words trying to tell you something about your heart?

As we approach the conclusion of our post series, we want to remind you that the cornucopia of your words and behavior originate from your own heart. The fruit speaks of the condition of the heart. If we don't like the fruit, we must tend to the root.

If this post series was helpful to you, please let us know. We would love to hear from you! If you want to speak to someone about fruit or root issues, please message us. Temple Care has counselors available to help you.