How do you determine what a person is like? You do it by evaluating what a person does. Jesus said, you know someone by their fruit. He said, “You can identify them by their fruit…that is, the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.”
Think about the last sentence…”A good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” What kind of fruit are we producing? If we are believers, our lives will produce fruit. Paul said “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…”
So, is the fruit of the spirit evident in our lives? None of us are perfect but our lives should be marked by love and peace and patience and other things. Hatred is not the mark of a Christian. Dishonesty is not the mark of a Christian.
Jesus said, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” May our lives produce fruit from the spirit and actions that glorify God.