By: Tesia Nagorka

“A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth” -Proverbs 13:2

It’s true, you should be careful what you say. What we say affects those around us as well as ourselves. We can speak with bitterness, which creates more strife. We can even get caught in a cycle of negativity, fueled by our constant complaints. It’s just like the phrase, you can “eat your own words.”

But this scripture holds so much more than that. You see, whatever is in you will come out of your mouth. God likens it to fruit!

In Luke 6:44-45, God illustrates “For every tree is known by its own fruit,” explaining, “for men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.“

Regardless of what we do, we produce fruit. That’s how God designed us – we’re all fruit trees of some kind. The unique thing about us, however, is that we can choose the fruit we want to produce. 

This is not just a warning. Proverbs 13:2 says that “we shall eat well” by it. Our words are food for others and ourselves! God’s Word, Truth, and Love are nourishment to us, and what flows out of us becomes nourishment to others. What’s more – fruit contains seeds, which multiply more of the same life-giving fruit!

 Consider these things: What is inside your heart? How well nourished are you? What kind of tree are you?