Bible Verse of the Day 1 October 2022, Saturday | Matthew 7:16 | Grace
Bible Verse of the Day 1 October 2022, Saturday
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)
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Bible Verse of the Day 1 October 2022 MESSAGE
“Will the real [person’s name] please stand up?” That’s the familiar line at the end of the game show To Tell the Truth. A panel of four celebrities asks questions of three individuals claiming to be the same person. Of course, two are impostors, but it’s up to the panel to discern the actual person. In one episode, the celebrities tried to guess “the real Johnny Marks,” who wrote the lyrics to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The celebrities found out how difficult it was to figure out who’s who, even when asking good questions. Impostors finagled the truth, which made for entertaining television.
Discerning who’s who when it comes to “false teachers” is a far cry from television game show antics, but it can be equally as challenging and is infinitely more important. The “ferocious wolves” often come to us in “sheep’s clothing,” and Jesus warns even the wise among us to “watch out” (Matthew 7:15). The best test is not so much good questions, but good eyes. Look at their fruit, for that’s how you’ll recognize them (vv. 16–20).
Scripture gives us assistance in seeing good and bad fruit. The good looks like “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). We’ve got to pay close attention, for wolves play by deception. But as believers, who are filled with the Spirit, we serve the real Good Shepherd, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
PRAYER: Great Shepherd, give me eyes and ears to look and listen for good fruit.
Bible Verse of the Day 1 October 2022 Devotion written by John Blase.
John preached for more than a decade but then decided to start writing and selling his poetry. By day he works as a developmental editor for WaterBrook & Multnomah Publishers in Colorado Springs, Colorado. And while he lives out West, he’ll always be from the South. His books include The Jubilee: Poems; Know When to Hold‘Em: The High Stakes Game of Fatherhood; Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas; and All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir. He says he’s a fortunate man with a beautiful wife and three kids who look like their mother.
