The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30 NKJV

Christians often emphasize the importance of winning souls, and at the same time, deemphasize the importance of showing that their soul has been won—evidencing the fruits of righteousness.

The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom. The wisdom of Proverbs teaches that the fruit of the righteous precedes the fruit of soul-winning. The Apostle Paul referred to the fruit of the Spirit also as the fruit of righteousness (Phil. 1:11). Effective soul-winning begins with the fruit of righteous first being a tree of life.

For example, many kindergarten and grade school teachers incorporate “show and tell” in their curriculums to help their students develop and demonstrate listening and speaking skills for effective communication to help guide a classmate in understanding some important idea, people, places, and things. Winning souls to Christ is like “show and tell.” You show before you tell!

“The fruit of righteous is a tree of life” (Text). A “tree of life” evidences health and life with its green leaves and blooming fruit (Ps. 1:3; Isa. 61:3). You can always know a tree by the fruit it bears (Matt. 7:20). So, it is true spiritually; you are known by your fruit and your fruit is clearly seen by all who observe your tree (life). Spiritually, a tree of life attracts—not repel—people to its fruit and its shade (unconditional acceptance) by consistently exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit because they are the attributes, the character,  and  nature of Christ (John 15:5; Matt. 4:19).  But this fruit in your life must first show before you tell others about Jesus Christ.

.Again, the fruit of righteousness is the fruit of the Spirit, as outlined in Galatians 5:22, 23; and, the fruit of the Spirit can be summed up in one word: love. This is the new commandment that Jesus gave to believers (John 13:34, 35). When it comes to winning souls, where’s the love? Show God’s love to the lost before you tell them about the salvation plan that God offers, because the fruit of the Spirit is love. Remember the “purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). Show it before you tell it!