ESOCS Devotional 16 February 2026 – Good Tree Begets Good Fruit
MEMORY VERSE: “For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.” Luke 6:44 KJV
TEXT: LUKE 6:35-END
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ uses the example of a tree in the scripture stated above. It’s a biological fact that a thorn bush does not produce figs, and a bramble bush does not produce grapes. In the same vein, a person’s true nature is revealed by his or her actions and deeds. You can tell the true nature of a person by the fruit of their actions and behavior, similar to how you can tell what kind of tree it is by the fruit it bears. Since people’s words and deeds come from the heart, the fruit of their life will reveal their true inner self.
Jesus says, ‘A good person’s heart is a good store from which good actions come, and an evil person’s heart is a store of evil from which evil actions come.’ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. If we fill our hearts with God’s love through His word, we can love others and do good to them. So, the key to bearing good fruit is having a good heart.
Jesus uses the analogy of a tree to explain how we can recognize character. We know a fig tree by its figs and a thorn bush by its thorns; similarly, a person’s character is displayed through his actions and words. This truth points to the core of our being. The “fruit” that appears in our lives—our behavior, our conversations, our attitudes—flows directly from the inner “treasure” of our hearts.
The nature of your spiritual “fruit” reveals the condition of your spiritual “tree”. Pay attention to the quality of your actions and words. Do they bring glory to God and build others up? Alternatively, do they reveal an underlying bitterness, selfishness, or anger?
Seek transformation by acknowledging that you are a “thorn bush” or “bramble bush”. This can be a painful but necessary starting point. God can change your nature through His Spirit and power. Obedience to Christ’s teachings is how you build a strong, secure foundation for your life.
Reflections
- What kind of fruit do you produce by your actions and deeds?
Prayer
- Dear Lord, renew my heart that I may bear good fruits.
Further Reading: Isaiah 63:15-End; 64: 1-5; 45:1-8; 1 Corinthians 5:1-End.
ESOCS Devotional 15 February 2026
