Bearing Fruit

Matthew 7:16-20  

16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes,
or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree 
bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear 
good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into 
the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

This verse crossed my mind the other day while I was at the gym.  About 6 months ago,
 I changed the way I lift. I started lifting using a lot of negatives (if you don’t know what 
that means it’s not important), which is different from the way everyone else lifts at that 
gym.  For the first couple months, I would notice people looking at me funny and noticing 
that what I do is different. Starting about two months ago, people started asking me why
 I was working out in that way. It gave me a chance to explain the reasoning behind it and 
a few people even started trying it on their own.

Throughout all this, the Spirit kept bringing this scripture to my mind, especially the part 
saying “by their fruit you will recognize them”.  It made me think of other ways in my life
 where I could be setting myself apart in a Christ-like manner and acting in a different 
way from the world.  It also made me think, “Am I ready to explain why I act in a certain
 manner?” When I was at the gym I knew exactly why I was lifting in that way and why
 it benefited by body, so I was ready when someone asked “why”.  Am I always ready
 with scripture and/or an explanation if/when someone asks me why I do or don’t do 
certain things in my life? As Christians, we don’t always have to be the ones initiating
 conversations, but we do have to always be ready when the opportunity to talk about
 our faith presents itself.