“The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God–he gathers them for eternity].” 

Proverbs 11:30 AMP

Interesting that in this verse that the righteous area a “tree of life.” The prophet Jerimiah was told by God that,

““Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the LORD And whose hope and confident expectation is the LORD. 8“For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters, That spreads out its roots by the river; And will not fear the heat when it comes; But its leaves will be green and moist. And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought Nor stop bearing fruit.”

Jerimiah 17:7-8 AMP

The Hebrew word for fruit here is the word meaning “what is harvested.” It is from the root word meaning “to cause to exist.” The verb form of the word means “to cause to exist.” Every believer is called to bring forth good fruit from their lives. The water for this fruit is a “consistently righteous” life. Once again, we find reference to the moral foundation of a believer’s activity. The book of James reminds us that,

“But the wisdom from above is first pure [morally and spiritually undefiled], then peace-loving [courteous, considerate], gentle, reasonable [and willing to listen], full of compassion and good fruits. It is unwavering, without [self-righteous] hypocrisy [and self-serving guile].” 

James 3:17 AMP

Do you see it? The wisdom that we order our life by is “morally and spiritually undefiled.” The verse goes on to say it will produce, “good fruits.” Jesus taught that by the observation of a person’s life you can know the origin of their motivation.

““Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves.16By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].” Matthew 7:15-20 AMP

This is why the believer must take care to preserve the testimony of what Christ is doing in their life. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth,

“You are our letter [of recommendation], written in our hearts, recognized, and read by everyone. 3You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 AMP

Notice that in our opening verse, the point (fruit) of the consistently righteous life is the winning of souls. The book of Jude tells us,

“But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit, 21and keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ [which will bring you] to eternal life. 22And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy but with fear, loathing even the clothing spotted and polluted by their shameless immoral freedom.” Jude 1:20-23 AMP

Let me encourage you today to treasure the name of the Lord and the work He is doing in your life. Let you light shine then in such a way that those who see you give glory to our Father in heaven! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken