Harvesting Good Fruit: Speaking Truth to Your Values

A Reflection for Saturday, March 22 by Rev. Dr. Elrica Adams-Finney

Lectionary reading for Saturday, March 22, 2025: Psalm 63:1-8; Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 6:43-45;

Selected passage for reflection: Luke 6:43-45

Read

Luke 6:43-45 NIV

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 

Reflect

In a season of such great division and differing opinions where can the beauty of God’s teachings be found? As the world moves around us and the wonder of God’s perfect and amazing work is often overlooked, where do we begin to unite? Is it with discerning the origin of the discord described in this chosen scripture as good tree bearing bad fruit versus the contrasting alternative? Is it in the dichotomy of good and bad (evil) itself? In our thirst for understanding and desire to please God, unpacking the threads within the stitches that are sown is the foundation for understanding. It leads to the cornerstone that is represented in our own true voice.

We begin this reflecting journey on the heart of the issue. Our takeaway is that to produce good fruit, the tree must be good. As we tread through life with differing viewpoints examining the heart is essential. Do your desires come from a non-judgemental place that does not put “self” first? If yes, then the fruit must be good even though the size, shape or color picked may be unexpected. At the other end of the continuum, there is bad fruit picked that stemmed from good intentions however damaging the order was by misinterpretation. Do we throw the baby away with the bathwater? In retrospect, because the tree gave way to one season of bad fruit, is the tree still a good tree or even capable of good? Yes, we can have differing opinions and still love one another!

Our bible clearly states the existence of good and evil. Good is represented as God (Psalm 145:9), evil and suffering in this world is received as factual (John 16:33) and we are commanded to do something about evil (Romans 12:21). Discerning the essence of each phase of this reflection looks different per individual. I invite you to examine your own heart with the guidance of God. Reflect on the good you would like to produce. Make changes that cause the source (self) to be good and then act by speaking your truth. Identify your values based on those concerns in alignment with your heart, spiritual discernment and love for all God’s creations. Please hear what speaks to your heart (John 10:27-28) and trust in God’s promises (Jeremiah 29:11). Since the bible is interconnected the support that enables us to respond to the chosen scripture of Luke 6:43-45 resonates throughout the “living word” of the bible.

Respond 

You have already been invited above to look inward utilizing God’s presence. Go and solidify your understanding by reading this verse repetitively. Take a walk and expose your innermost guarded barriers to the beauty of what God can do. Define your definition of good and determine whether it aligns with God’s word. Think of all the good that is derived from good sources. Now redirect your thoughts and actions that are not from a good source. Speak on it. Learn from it. Make sure it is heard as a source to promote change: in thinking, in speaking, in understanding and in praying for continued guidance.

Rest 

Dearest God and Precious Holy One, please hear our prayer. Teach us to love one another in the agape love that You reign down upon us. As we discern the issues of today, help us to produce good fruit. Lord, help us to grow with your divine wisdom a tolerance for those that are different from us or have different viewpoints, yet are still Your beloved children. Let the tree of life that bears our fruit produce good works that are ever pleasing to You. As we breathe in your exemplary presence, let us exhale all sounds, voices and works that are not in accordance with your word. Make this our good fruit, Oh God. Our good fruit that belongs to You, the source of all things that are good. Amen. 

About the Author 

Elrica Adams

Rev. Dr. Elrica Adams-Finney, DMin BCC is a staff chaplain and working in on-call supervisor role for two major hospital networks in Monroe County and Eastern Pennsylvania. She is a public speaker who advocates for vulnerable populations. She enjoys global research travel to historic places such as Israel, South Africa and Egypt. She takes pride in her six sons and eleven grandchildren! Nature walks are where she finds peace and joy. She patiently awaits the release this summer of her new book, Go Tell It on the Mountain: Justice Begins When the Vulnerable are Heard.