Deception -By Their Fruits You Will Know

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one who saith to me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Farther which is in heaven.  

Matthew 7:20,21

The kids and I were so excited when we found round squishy eggs in the dirt of our potato patch. They were about the size of a quarter. From all accounts, they looked like land turtle eggs. We kept a watch all summer. We waited for a full moon. We reasoned that sea turtles hatch on the full moon surely land turtles did the same. We searched the internet for more information.

Nothing seemed to be hatching. After school started I decided to take a few to class to put in the terrarium just to peak some interest. I placed some soil in a plastic carton, then nestled in the eggs that were left. Odd some of the eggs that were deep in the soil were gone. I added water to make sure they were hydrated in case some turtles were still incubating and placed them in the floor board of the car. I didn’t want to forget them the next morning.

Ah, the next morning a little nose was poking through a shell. I was thrilled. I placed the eggs still in their carton on the soil in the terrarium and called the children to come and see. We invited the other class to view the hatching of our turtle egg. As the day passed the turtle pulled its nose further back into the shell. I figured he had had enough of school for the day.

Next morning, I anxiously arrived at school, hoping the turtle had made its entrance into the world. Two other eggs were hatching! To my surprise my turtle had hatched without a shell and it had a really long tail! I didn’t have turtles! I had corn snakes! I didn’t need snakes of any description in a class of small children. Call the principal, now! Thankfully he disposed of them for me.

I thought, wasn’t that a deception? For months I treated the eggs as if they were turtles.  My eggs looked good on the outside but on the inside, well you know – snakes! Jesus knew that all along. He made the turtles and the snakes. He also knows about people. He told the Pharisees they were like painted sepulchers. They looked good on the outside but on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones. Jesus knows us too. We live in a day of deception. It may be hard for you and me to tell if someone is really a Christian or just putting on a good front, but Jesus knows. He tells us to look at the fruit. If a person is truly a Christian they will act like a Christian. Don’t be deceived by those who tell you it is wrong to judge. Be a fruit inspector. You may help someone become a true Christian.

What experiences have you had with “fruit inspection”? We would love to have your comments.

Blessing

Hey Kids:

Many things, if not most things, are identified by their fruit.

Even an egg is the fruit of the animal that laid it. 

We can usually identify the animal or plant by the fruit.

Different size and color of eggs help us identify the animal, usually. Don't forget I learned a lesson!

Plants can be identified by their fruit or sometimes more easily by their flowers.

Seeds are part of the fruit of plants and help us identify the plant.

Talk a walk in the yard, or garden, or forest. 

How many "fruits" can you find? How are they unique? In what ways do they help you identify the parent plant or animal? 

Remember, you bear fruit as well. Are you displaying the fruits of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22,23 

Have fun!

Looks Good

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one who saith to me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Farther which is in heaven.  Matthew 7:20,21

The kids and I were so excited when we found round squishy eggs in the dirt of our potato patch. They were about the size of a quarter. From all accounts, they looked like land turtle eggs. We kept a watch all summer. We waited for a full moon. We reasoned that sea turtles hatch on the full moon surely land turtles did the same. We searched the internet for more information.

Nothing seemed to be hatching. After school started I decided to take a few to class to put in the terrarium just to peak some interest. I placed some soil in a plastic carton, then nestled in the eggs that were left. Odd some of the eggs that were deep in the soil were gone. I added water to make sure they were hydrated in case some turtles were still incubating and placed them in the floor board of the car. I didn’t want to forget them the next morning.

Ah, the next morning a little nose was poking through a shell. I was thrilled. I placed the eggs still in their carton on the soil in the terrarium and called the children to come and see. We invited the other class to view the hatching of our turtle egg. As the day passed the turtle pulled its nose further back into the shell. I figured he had had enough of school for the day.

Next morning, I anxiously arrived at school, hoping the turtle had made its entrance into the world. Two other eggs were hatching! To my surprise my turtle had hatched without a shell and it had a really long tail! I didn’t have turtles! I had corn snakes! I didn’t need snakes of any description in a class of small children. Call the principal, now! Thankfully he disposed of them for me.

I thought, wasn’t that a deception? For months I treated the eggs as if they were turtles.  My eggs looked good on the outside but on the inside, well you know – snakes! Jesus knew that all along. He made the turtles and the snakes. He also knows about people. He told the Pharisees they were like painted sepulchers. They looked good on the outside but on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones. Jesus knows us too. We live in a day of deception. It may be hard for you and me to tell if someone is really a Christian or just putting on a good front, but Jesus knows. He tells us to look at the fruit. If a person is truly a Christian they will act like a Christian. Don’t be deceived by those who tell you it is wrong to judge. Be a fruit inspector. You may help someone become a true Christian.

What experiences have you had with “fruit inspection”? We would love to have your comments.

Blessing

Planting God’s Seeds

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John 12:24

Remember those seeds you planted last spring? What happened to them? You may have seen the seeds come out of the ground on the first leaves or they may have remained in the ground. Either way, the seeds died when the little plant began to put down roots and lift up the first sprout. Now, months later, you are enjoying veggies (the fruit)  and flowers from those seeds that rotted and died. Inside the fruit of the veggie, the beans, squash, tomatoes, okra, etc. are more seeds, lots of seeds to plant next year.

Experiment 

Take 2 or 3 left over seeds or a few dry beans. Grab a paper towel and a sandwich bag to see what happens.

Fold the paper towel in half twice so it is the size of the sandwich bag. Now, dampen it.

Place it inside the sandwich bag.

Place your seeds on the towel and zip the bag closed.

Pace your bag of seeds in a sunny window and watch what happens.

Jesus wants us to be like that seed. He wants us to “die to self”. In other words forget about what you want and let Jesus show you a better way. When we follow what Jesus wants, we will be witnesses for Him to everyone we meet. When someone gets save, that’s called bearing fruit. Lots of people can be saved through the witness of one person like you and me. We can bear lots of fruit. Like the veggies in our garden, a new Christian has the potential to bear more fruit. They can tell others just as you did.

Did you have any left over seeds last spring? What happened to them? Aren’t they still lying there in the package doing nothing, just waiting on someone to poke them in a little dirt?

That’s the way Christians are who don’t witness. We give all kinds of excuses. We don’t know what to say. We don’t want others not to like us. The excuses can go on and on. We just sit there without any fruit. Isn’t it exciting when we see someone get saved? Let’s all get out of the chair, step out into the world and plant a few of God's seeds.

Got any fruit to share? Leave us a comment about your experiences planting God’s seeds in the hearts of others.

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