These words from Matthew are not often thought of as one teaching, but they are. Jesus warns all who would follow Him about false teachers and how to recognize such teachers: Verse 20, “20Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” There it is, plain and simple. I know we like to apply it to other people, but I am asking you this day to apply it to yourself. You see, to use an old cliché, it is easy to talk the talk; but can you invest the effort to walk the walk? I hope you can. (I hope I can) because the last part of this teaching clearly indicates that we are judged on what is in our HEARTS not just what comes out of our mouths – and what is in our hearts is made clear to all by the actions in which we choose to invest. Jesus is clear, very clear, that the first action in which we must invest is submitting our lives to HIM. Many will claim to have done good deeds in the name of Jesus but in reality did them according to THEIR will – not HIS. It is not a great thing to get to heaven and brag to Jesus about everything you did in His name only for Him to say, “That’s great, but I never asked you to do any of that; you were too busy, however, to listen to what I really wanted.”