Trees are a reoccurring symbol in the Bible. There is a tree at the beginning in the garden, and a tree at the end in the city. There is a tree in the middle on which Jesus was hung. Trees are also used to describe the people of God. Psalm 1 says the righteous man is "like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither." And Jesus uses the imagery of a tree to describe our communion with him in John 15: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Likewise, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:15-20) and again in Matthew 12:33 Jesus compares people to trees. A person, like a tree, is known by its fruit. A good tree yields good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. The principle is simple and profound. As a friend's bumper sticker reminded me: Fruit Happens. Who we are will ultimately be revealed by what we do. If our lives are marked ...