Is your life as fruitful as it seems?

Matthew 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-14

Imitations have gotten better and better over time. It’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between the artificial succulents and live plants. We need to be cautious in a friend’s kitchen because those beautiful apples on the counter may be for decor purposes only. 

We’ve all experienced a moment when we realized things are not as they seem. In Matthew 21, Jesus sees a fig tree full of beautiful leaves, a sign that it should be bearing fruit. But when He gets closer there’s no fruit. The tree had all the outward signs of fruitfulness, but nothing below the foliage. Jesus cursed the tree, and it withered.