According to modern theory the brain is a tree having branches bearing fruit.  Everything you see, everything you read, everything you hear, touch or taste produces another branch in the tree producing either good or bad fruit.  A good tree produces good fruit and a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.  When you think about people in your life do the branches they have produced bring forth good or bad fruit?  When you think of your husband or your wife, for instance, do they conjure up good or bad thoughts?  Do they produce bitterness, resentment, pity, guilt, fear, or judgment; bad fruit?  Or do they produce calmness, peace, tranquility, happiness, and fullness; good fruit?  Jesus is telling us that people whose brain have produced branches bearing good fruit, will be known by their fruit.  People whose brain has produced corrupt branches bearing evil fruit will be hewn down and cast into the fire.  Surround yourself with people producing branches bearing good fruit.  Every perception is recorded in your brain and when you think of those people they either conjure up good thoughts producing love, joy, and peace or bad fruit producing anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, pity, or fear.  That is why Jesus tells us in Luke nine that no man having put his hand to the plow looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.(v62)  If God has delivered you from a past that has caused misery and pain, if God has delivered you from people who have caused misery and pain, if you were a person that produced misery and pain, leave the past behind and live in the present and set your heart on what is before and not behind.  As much as you can, only put good things in your brain, only surround yourself with people that produce good fruit.  Only read good things.  Only watch good things.  Only listen to good things.  As you do you will be producing branches in your tree, in your brain, producing good fruit.  When you choose to go down the other road, you live with fear, stress, anger, lust, jealousy, bitterness, and resentment.  Your memories will be evil fruit, not good fruit.  Feed your brain with good perceptions and what you stop feeding will wither and die.  Then you will have passed the finished line and live in victory.  You will live in love, peace, and joy and you will produce good branches in other trees producing good fruit as well.  When they think of you it will produce happiness, faith, joy, and love.

            What kind of tree are you?  What kind of fruit are you producing?  Ask God for the grace to be a tree bearing good fruit.

amen