THE LORD REMEMBERS HIS COVENANT FOREVER(Genesis 15:1-12,17-18/Psalm 105:1-4,6-9/Matthew 7:15-20)

THE LORD REMEMBERS HIS COVENANT FOR EVER

(Wednesday, June 26, 2019)

In the first reading today God tells Abram, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield. I will make your reward very great. Abram responded to God "What good will your gifts be if I keep on being childless?" God answered him "You will have more heirs than there are stars in the sky. I wouldn't know what you are experiencing or passing through at the moment but never lose hope because our God is indeed a God of surprises who in most cases acts when we think that all hope is lost.

Abram thought that what God was promising him may not be fully actualized as he remains childless but it never occurred to him that God who made the promise to him knew his condition before making the promise. Know it today that God knows all you are experiencing. Your own part of the game is never to lose hope in God. The watchword is "Trust Him always" In the Gospel today, Jesus is making a parallel between “a good tree and a bad tree” with “a good person and a bad person.” Christ was making a serious assertion of separating people based on their behaviour and character not really judging from appearance because in most cases, appearance seems to be deceptive. According to Christ, we need to evaluate behaviour as positive or negative. Jesus warns us that appearances can be deceiving.

We can’t just judge a book by its cover, we have to find out what’s inside. A wolf can wear a sheepskin, but that doesn’t make him a sheep. It’s a trick. He’s trying to look innocent, but he wants to eat the sheep – something a real sheep could never do. Real sheep will eat grass. A wolf in sheep clothing will eat sheep. Changing his outward appearance does not change his inner nature. He is still a wolf regardless of his appearance, and his behaviour will show his true nature.

Grapes come from grapevines and nowhere else. Thorn bushes cannot produce grapes. It’s not in their nature. Apples can never grow from an orange tree. Everything has an innate nature that will show through. Look at actions, not appearances. Don’t trust the wolf who looks innocent in the sheepskin, but see what fruit he bears. He will prove himself to be the ravenous monster he is underneath, not the innocent sheep he appears on the surface. Only a fig tree can bear figs, you’ll only get stung by a thistle.

The good people will show their goodness, and the bad cannot hide their true nature for long. Are our lives barren, fruitless, and spiritually futile? Indeed, Christians are expected to bear good fruits in season and out of season. Let people always talk about us based on the good fruits we bear and not the opposite.

Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus, give me grace to live well so as to bear good fruit for you. May I place my trust in you always. Amen.