What Jesus Did! 'Good Fruit' — Matthew 12:33-35

Saturday, June 14, 2025

[Jesus continued his reply to the Pharisees:] "A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 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."
— Matthew 12:33-35 NLT

Key Thought

Blasphemy is what you would expect from Jesus' opponents, because their hearts are evil. They have demonstrated this again and again by their actions. But what about us? Is there a cynical, fault-finding heart that is always skeptically looking to cut down those who do good things? Is there an arrogant, hypocritical heart that allows us to look for the faults in others but not deal with our own? Is there an undiscerning, rebellious heart that allows us to see no need for standards or morals? We must remember that our mouths speak of what is in our hearts. Our deeds display the values of our hearts. We must guard our hearts and seek after truth, and in particular, seek after Jesus.

Today's Prayer

Purify my heart, O God, so that I may faithfully and honorably serve you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

4 Related Resources by Heartlight

Worthless Religion?
Article by Tammy Marcelain
What can empty our faith of its value? Tammy Marcelain shares insight on who we welcome and how we welcome them into our midst, and also reflects on what we do to push them away and hurt them with our words and actions.
Biting our Tongue?
Article by Lou Seckler
Can you keep it in check? We must watch our language for others and for God.
Hurts of the Heart
Article by Max Lucado
Is your storehouse of anger doing you any good? Are you happier? Better? More fun to be with? Max Lucado helps us deal with the hurts of the heart that lead to bitterness, anger, and depression, as we are provoked and frustrated into sullen and negative states of spirit and emotion and mind.
Are You Nice?
Article by Mike Barres
So is it really important that we are nice and courteous? Being nice is important if we are going to influence others.

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 12:33-35 NLT — "A tree is identified by its fruit."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, June 14, 2025

Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'I will Trust in Your Good Name' (Ps. 52:9)
"I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Tested True'
"Dear Beloved, Temptation. You face it. It is hard. The devil makes sure that the temptation is presented at just the right time, appealing to just..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God Leads All Who Conform to His Rules'
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy..."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Song of Songs 4:12
"Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon with intense affection addresses his bride the church. "My sister, one near to me by ties of...."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!