“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

by Josh Liu

Do you have a robust theology of fruits and plants? I am not speaking of literal fruits and plants, or that God created them, or of their design and purpose in a complex cycle of natural life. Rather, are you familiar with Christ’s analogy of fruits and trees to illustrate man’s actions and spiritual condition? The actions, words, thoughts, and motives of a person (the fruit) reveals the spiritual condition of that person’s heart (the tree/root). How does Christ’s teaching, that you will know a false teacher by his fruits (cf. Matt. 7:15-20; 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45), impact your understanding of man? Of confronting sin? Of your philosophy of ministry?

The Lumos youth staff has been reading through Paul David Tripp’s Age of Opportunity. It has been helpful in considering biblical principles related to parenting, which is significant as Lumos seeks to partner with parents in the discipleship of their children. In chapter three, “What Is A Family? A Definition,” Tripp identifies several ways the Bible describes children (which may be applied to all people): children are covenantal beings, children are social beings, children are interpreters, and children behave out of the heart.

There are few principles concerning biblical anthropology as important as understanding that man acts out of the passions, desires, will, wishes, plans, and thoughts of the heart (cf. Prov. 4:23; Matt. 12:34b). Tripp helpfully reminds us that often times, parents’ goals focus on getting their children to obey or meet their expectations; in other words, behavior control. Since Scripture (and God) is concerned with the heart (cf. Ps. 51:16-17; Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:6; Matt. 22:37-40), parenting (and youth ministry) ought to focus on the heart. Speaking of parents, Tripp says, “Our goal is to be used of God to expose and nurture the hearts of our children so that they want to behave in ways that please the Lord” (Tripp, 48).

To slightly modify Christ’s illustration used at the beginning of this article, in the context of shepherding the heart of a youth, the staff seeks to confront actions, words, responses, etc. (the fruit) to examine the motivations, intentions, and desires (the heart). This goes beyond behavior modification. Tripp concludes,

This “sin is bad, don’t do it” brand of parenting forgets that sin is not only a matter of behavior, but a matter of the thoughts and motives of the heart as well. It fails to recognize that if the heart does not change, any behavior changes that take place will be temporary and cosmetic, because they will not be attached to roots in the heart. (Tripp, 50)

In shepherding the heart, the staff seeks to help the youth examine themselves through a biblical lens. We challenge them to realize that particular fruit will accompany a particular tree (cf. Gal. 5:16-26)–one who is genuinely saved will demonstrate a life of repentance; one who is not saved will demonstrate a life of unrepentant sin. We also challenge the youth who profess to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, to continually submit areas of their heart in repentance and to seek God-honoring actions, words, and attitudes.

How do you address the heart when counseling? when evangelizing? when making decisions? when repenting of sin? David Powlison’s “X-ray Questions: Drawing Out the Whys and Wherefores of Human Behavior” from The Journal of Biblical Counseling provides a helpful sampler of heart-probing questions. May your heart be found with Christ at the center (cf. Matt. 6:20-21; Phil. 3:8).