All that glitters is not gold, as the saying goes.  Pyrite is often confused for real gold by even the most intelligent people.  They will pan for hours thinking they have a choice find.  The disappointment when they discover the truth is devastating.  All the long hours and excitement plus telling all their friends is all for nothing.

There are friends who are similar.  A man will quote scripture with much poise and is very convincing.  He can say things to make people feel on top of the world. However when asking him for a prayer his response is, “You will be fine.  Just keep the faith.”  No prayer.  What a horrible empty feeling to one who really needs their name called out to our Lord.

There are widow women way up in age.  Some sit at home very lonely day after day with their Bibles.  When asking one of them to pray, not only will a sincere prayer be said but a caring heart will be offered too.  Many of these women will continue to keep the prayer request in their hearts and will want to hear how things are working out.

A true person will glitter from the inside out.  Some are hard to see but when found, it’s the greatest of all treasures.

Matthew 7:15-20

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.  You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.  A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.  So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.  Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.