Fruit

Whose hope is the Lord…Zechariah 17:7

As grace and walking in the Spirit are two sides of the same coin, trusting in man and trusting in God are two separate coins. With two separate outcomes. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, verse 7. Cursed is the man who trusts in man, verse 5. One choice, trust, two options, the Lord or man. One brings a blessing, the other does not.

Man naturally wants to trust in himself. He is raised to think that way. Trusting in himself, his own power, his own way of thinking, and makes flesh his strength, verse 6. In doing so, his heart departs from the Lord, verse 6. The outcome is not good. He shall be like a shrub in the desert, verse 6. He produces bitter leaves and thorns.

The man who trusts in the Lord is like a tree planted by the water, Psalm 1:3, that brings forth his fruit in his season. He/she is a blessing. They are a blessing because they are blessed by God. Blessed people who share their blessings with others. They love God and love others. They don’t just say they love others; they show their love.

The natural man and woman don’t live fruitless lives. But they can only produce natural fruit. While possibly not toxic, it isn’t nutritious. Well, some of their fruit is poisonous. They live the life they chose: a life of carnal desolation. This is not what God intended.

Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in his season; his leaves also shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper, Psalm 1:1-3 abbreviated