Deeper Rock Luke 6:43-45 Praying With A flying F-bomb
Luke 6:43–45 (NLT) — 43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
Here we see the good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and actually cannot produce good fruit. You know the tree by its fruit. Likewise, you are known by what you do. How many times do people see themselves one way, good, kind, but because of what they do others don't see them that way. It's not what you want to do that determines whether you're a good or bad tree. It is what you do.
What you do is the real you. You can tell me to managing your finances is important to you, but find that boat with an 8% loan tells a different story. You can tell your family comes first, but the fact that you haven't missed made one game this year tells a different story. You can tell me that church is important to you, but then why is your lazy can in bed three out of four Sundays? You can tell me that your spiritual life is important to you, but then why haven't you talk to God for years? You can tell me that being why this is important to you, but then why haven't you ever read your Bible.
If you thought that was harsh this is even more so. Jesus tells us "what you say flows from what is in your heart." Has your mouth ever surprised you? I sometimes use the expression that my mouth moves faster than my brain. But the reality is actually found in this verse. It's what's in my heart that splashes out when I get bumped.
I was 16, and most likely dumber than a lot of 16-year-olds in a lot of ways. I had just got my driver’s license, and was driving my mom’s 1972 Cutlass supreme. It had a 350 4 barrel on it and I discovered that if you floored at sitting at a stoplight you could spin the tires for about 10 seconds and not even move. Well, I was trying to merge I 94 and I had to hurry up to get into traffic. But that's okay I have a car with a lot of power, bless God. So merging into traffic I floored it. That big engine roared, and the back tires swung back and forth, creating what I learned later to be called a fishtail. With the backend of my car swinging from side to side, I had set up circumstances that would earn me a place on the 10 o'clock news. The news crews were there for the police officers. There were five cars and one semi involved in that wreck. I know it still hurts my mom's heart think about it.
I tell that story to illustrate an important point. At 16 years old I loved Jesus with all my heart. I was stupid but I loved Jesus. And I don't think anybody has ever sworn and cussed so much in a prayer before. See, when life bumped into me, what was in my heart came out. Now I'm glad I prayed because that shows that there was some God in my heart. But I admit that the flying F-bomb that was being screamed in the cab of that car was contrary to the witness I was trying to portray.
People don't know you by who you want to be. They know you by what you do. If what you do represents who you really are I have a question for you. Does what you do project the values you want to have. If they don't, I have good news for you. Jesus always knew you were going to come up short of your own expectations. And furthermore, he knew that you were going to come up short of his expectations. He made away you could be friends with him. Perhaps you're like me and is like got inside of you and you need God's help to be different. It's really very exciting, because when he makes you different you act different. When he makes you a new creation, that is almost unrecognizable from what was there before you and your family will be the last.
Thank you for reading my little article. I want to invite you to rock church where you can be all your created. May the Lord richly bless you and I hope to see you in church on Sunday.
Pastor Scott J Kruse
