KNOWING PEOPLE PART 3
Scripture Reading - Matthew 7:16-20 KJV
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Today we are continuing our study on “Knowing People” by examining their fruit. In Part three of this series we (ihlcc) will expound upon “knowing people” by the fruit they produce in their profession or career. It is said, you can judge a person by the company they keep. That statement has some truth to it because people tend to gravitate to those who are like them. Yes, of course you can be a fish out-of-water (so to speak) but everyone will definitely know that you are a fish. This applies to people’s calling and personality. The calling of a person determines what God has placed inside that individual. This is true both spiritually and physically because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance according to Romans 11:29. Therefore, God created you to be something special in this life and the good Lord placed the right tools to accomplish His calling inside your heart. What we (ihlcc) are saying is that a true Pastor of God will have the biblical characteristics of a shepherd who loves the sheep, if they are not there (perceivable) the odds are very high that they are not called to be a pastor. Have you ever noticed that preachers will preach at the drop of a hat but some people have no desire to preach at all. This is not to say that God can’t make someone into what He needs at the time but they must be willing and obedient to God’s calling at that time to be transformed into God’s perfect will for their life. For example, everyone knows that King David is a fighting machine and a psalmist but those graces did not make David a great father, like Father Abraham. Abraham excelled in his own gifts and graces, the Lord said I know Abraham will teach his children in Genesis 18:18,19. This was true in the Old Testament and it is still true today in the New Testament. We must be wise enough to know what kind of fruit God has placed inside of us to understand our calling before God. Yes, even the Apostle Paul was called to be a teacher whether he was teaching as a Pharisee or a Christian. Yes, we (ihlcc) always knew we liked teaching so we teach what we can when we can whether it is biblical (spiritual) or social (practical, natural). The Holy Bible states in Proverbs 18:16 that, “A man’s gift will make room for him and bring him before great men”. This is basically saying that if you strengthen the gifts God has placed inside of you by His Grace those same gifts will blossom into a profitable career. This is especially exciting because when you like the job you are doing on a regular basis it makes for a happier and more fulfilling life. So remember dear saint of God that you can know who you are by the fruit you produce and you can also recognize the calling in others by the fruit they produce in their occupation here on this earth. The day of the Lord is at hand, so be wise and know who you are supposed to be because the Lord certainly knows who He created you to be. Amen.