Many people today, when asked, identify themselves as Christians. They often attend a church on Sunday, and lead moral lives filled with good works. Indeed, there are any number of worthwhile humanitarian causes dependent on support from such generous souls as these.
How then, are we to discern the true believer of whom Jesus speaks when he says, “You will know them by their fruits.”?
The “fruits” of which he speaks are those acts motivated, not by a cause or movement, not for personal consolation, but rather those which we do “in the name of Jesus” and for his sake.
In the words of Teresa of Avila, “Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world”.
To truly follow Christ is to see and serve only him, though he comes disguised as the poor, the sick, the homeless or the forgotten stranger. It is that fruit which we bear, out of love for our Lord, that identifies us as the faithful Children of God.
Soli Deo Gloria, All Glory to God Alone.
The Reverend Deacon Sister Mary Catharine Robertson St. Paul’s (Glanford) Mount Hope.
Matthew 7:15-20 – A tree and its fruit
Many people today, when asked, identify themselves as Christians. They often attend a church on Sunday, and lead moral lives filled with good works. Indeed, there are any number of worthwhile humanitarian causes dependent on support from such generous souls as these.
How then, are we to discern the true believer of whom Jesus speaks when he says, “You will know them by their fruits.”?
The “fruits” of which he speaks are those acts motivated, not by a cause or movement, not for personal consolation, but rather those which we do “in the name of Jesus” and for his sake.
In the words of Teresa of Avila, “Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world”.
To truly follow Christ is to see and serve only him, though he comes disguised as the poor, the sick, the homeless or the forgotten stranger. It is that fruit which we bear, out of love for our Lord, that identifies us as the faithful Children of God.
Soli Deo Gloria, All Glory to God Alone.
The Reverend Deacon Sister Mary Catharine Robertson St. Paul’s (Glanford) Mount Hope.
The official communications channel of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara.
Keep on reading
Winter Sowing: Start seeds outdoors through the Canadian winter
The Reality of Post-Secular Canada
Human Trafficking? Yes In Our Own Backyards!
Elections and Our Duty
What Can Anglicans Learn from Other Denominations
Bishop Susan’s Lenten Book Choice