Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.

– Matthew 7:17

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

We often treat and look at people from the outside. In this verse, the Lord Jesus taught us not to judge a person by his appearance, but by his essence. As the word of God says, “The standard by which man judges man is based on his behavior; one whose conduct is good is a righteous person, and one whose conduct is abominable is wicked. The standard by which God judges man is based on whether one’s essence obeys Him; one who obeys God is a righteous person, and one who does not obey God is an enemy and a wicked person, regardless of whether this person’s behavior is good or bad, and regardless of whether this person’s speech is correct or incorrect.” We judge a tree whether it is good or bad by its fruit not by its appearance. It’s the same with people. We shouldn’t judge people based on the fact that they treat us well or badly, or that they speak kindly or harshly, but based on their essence. People who have the essence of obeying God are good, while people who have the essence of disobeying and opposing God are evil.