Ihu (Yeshua's name in the Paipera Tapu) gave us a very simple, no-nonsense way to tell if something is actually good for us. He used nature to explain how the world works because you don't need to be an expert to spot a fake. If you plant an apple seed, you don't get weeds. If a project or a person claims to be "good" but only produces stress, debt, and fighting, then something is wrong at the root.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible records this teaching clearly:

"By their fruits you shall know them." (Matthew 7:16, Ethiopian Bible English Version)

Original Source (Ge'ez): እምፍሬሆሙ ተአምርዎሙ።

Te Reo Māori: Ma o ratou hua ka mohio koutou ki a ratou.

The Life Audit

I believe we should use this teaching as a practical tool to check the results of everything around us. We can use a simple scale to see if something adds to our life or takes away from it. This is a much better way of looking at things than the complicated "maths" the system uses.

• Draining (-2): The results are bad. It hurts the environment, causes stress for families, and drains our energy.

Life-Giving (+2): The results are good. It helps the land, strengthens our culture, and keeps our resources right here at home.

The Trap Of Being Alone

Growing up, a lot of us were taught that we are on our own, that life is a competition where you have to look out for "Number One" first. This is what we call a "Bad Explanation". It makes us feel separate, lonely, and stressed, which actually drains our life force, or Mauri. Yeshua’s command to "Love your neighbour as yourself" is the direct fix for this. He isn’t just being nice; He’s telling us that we are all actually part of the same team.

What Is “Agape”?

When the Bible talks about love here, it uses the word “Agape” (specifically, Agapēseis, which is the future active indicative second-person singular form of Agape). This isn't just a "mushy" feeling. Agape is a choice. It is a selfless, "no-strings-attached" kind of love that wants the absolute best for the other person. One of the coolest things about this kind of love is that it has immense value, yet an infinite amount of it can be created from absolutely nothing. You don’t need a bank loan or a government grant to start loving your neighbour. You just decide to do it.