A Tree with No Fruit

And he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" And immediately the fig tree withered up.

— Matthew 21:19 (NLT)

When a fig tree has leaves, it usually also has fruit under the leaves. One day Jesus saw the leaves on a fig tree and went to it for something to eat because He was hungry. When He saw that it had leaves but no fruit, He cursed it, and I believe He cursed it because it was a phony.

Our words and actions should bear good fruit (see Matthew 7:15–20). If we appear to have good fruit, it’s important that we actually have it because people will be watching us. They’ll want to see if we have the real, genuine fruit of God’s presence in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23).

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God has chosen us to be His ambassadors (see 2 Corinthians 5:20), and we represent Him well when there’s good fruit in our lives. It isn't enough just to have a Jesus sticker on our cars or a cross hanging around our neck to display our Christianity—we must have the fruit to back it up.

Prayer Starter: Father, please help me to cultivate and produce good fruit in my life so I can represent You well to those around me. Thank You for new opportunities and grace to show Your love to people today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.