We Must Bear Fruit to the Father’s Glory

How does a Christian bear fruit? If, as believers, we pursue goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, we will be fruitful no matter where we are called.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (Joh 15:8 NIV)

I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God. (Phil 1:11 CEB)

I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (Joh 15:5 ISV)

When we bear fruit, we bring glory to God the Father, and we prove ourselves to be the Lord’s followers. The key to fruitfulness is abiding in Christ and being aware, moment by moment, of His presence and His love at work in our lives.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) Every GOOD tree bears GOOD fruit. (Mt 7:17) Each and every believer is a good tree, and every believer has been given the fruit of the Spirit.

The Lord tells us clearly in John 15:5:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

We must abide in Christ always, because without Him, we are powerless and can accomplish nothing. But with Him, nothing is impossible! Hallelujah!

God’s Mighty Acts Should Provoke Praise from Us

Whenever we witness the great and mighty acts of God, it should activate us to praise and worship Him spontaneously! Am I exaggerating? Absolutely not!

In the Bible, Jesus instructed people who received wondrous miracles—after they had rejoiced and praised God—to go and spread the good news about Him to other people. But FIRST, every single person erupted in praise and thanksgiving.

And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. (Lk 13:17 NKJV) This passage says that the multitude rejoiced! That means that a great crowd of people were happily praising and thanking God. And you’d better believe that they eventually told everyone all about it!

However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” (Mk 5:19 NKJV)
Here we see Jesus again telling the man who received the blessing to go and tell everyone he knew about God’s love, mercy and goodness to him. This is another form of praise and thanksgiving!

But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these [disciples, crowd of people] become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Lk 19:40 NASB)
Jesus is telling the Pharisees, who criticized the praise that He was receiving, that He not only accepted the worship from them, but that it was reasonable and justifiable for the people to act that way. (See Lk 19:37-38, 39)

For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timbers will answer it. (Hab 2:11 NKJV)
So often in the Bible, inanimate objects take the role of a witness to events. When we refer back to Jesus’ comment in Luke 19:40, we see that Jesus testifies to the fact that if the people remained silent, the very STONES would cry out in praise and worship of Him!

Wow! That’s pretty impressive.

Don’t let inanimate objects upstage you! When the Lord performs miracles for you or around you or for your friends and loved ones, burst forth into praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving. Let your voice be heard in adoration and thanksgiving to the Living God. God bless you.

Stay Away from Sin & Darkness

The Lord gives us, in His Word, not only wisdom, revelation, and insight; but He also gives us admonitions, warnings, and advice. Let’s review a few of these admonitions today.

. . . and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what is done by these disobedient people in secret. (Eph 5:11-12 ISV)

Not only should we avoid sin and occasions to sin, but we shouldn’t even speak about other peoples’ sin. The reason is because the Bible alerts us to the fact that to do so is shameful. We are called to expose sin as the dark evil that it truly is.

Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. (Ro 13:12 CEV)

We are called by Jesus Christ, who is the bright and morning star (Rev 22:16), to live in the light of God’s love.

Furthermore, 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV) states: But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light . . . We are called OUT OF darkness, sin, and sorrow into the light of God’s salvation, love, and blessings. Glory to God most High!

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints . . . (Eph 5:3 KJV)

Such sins as are mentioned in the verse above should not be participated in by born-again Christians who desire to follow Jesus. They are harmful to us and to the body of Christ.

But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Ro 6:21 NIV)

The end of sin is death in many forms. Some of the fruits of sin are shame, guilt, and separation from God. Not one of these so-called fruits is desirable.

From this study we can certainly see that it is for our good that God gives us these counsels. Let us draw near to God and avail ourselves of His grace, love, and goodness.

What Makes the Enemy Run?

What makes enemies run away? The presence of the Living God!

What about God’s presence in us and with us causes our enemies to “perish at His presence”?

When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence. (Ps 9:3 NKJV)

This verse tells us that the enemies begin to run away (‘turn back’) and then they fall and then they perish (or die). God’s power, perfection, and glory have this devastating effect on those who work in defiance of God and of His will.

You will make them turn their backs when you aim your arrows at them. (Ps 21:12 NCV)

They run from God in fear and terror because the enemies of our souls are aware that God is always victorious, and His arrows never miss their targets.

You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. (Ps 18:40 NIV)

The explanation for this verse is that the enemy (satan) sets ambushes for people and aims arrows of lack, sickness, strife and fear at God’s people. God’s arrows are the power of His spoken Word, His living Word, and His written Word. With the power and authority of Jesus Christ and His finished work of salvation, the Lord overcomes and overpowers the enemy easily as we trust in Him, and speak His Word in faith and power into our circumstances.

Rejoice in the goodness and the mighty power of our God!

Esteem the Word

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should honor and respect God’s Word. The Bible gives us guidance on this topic.

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. (Jer 15:16)

God’s Word should give us joy and cause us to rejoice in His goodness, His nature, and His salvation.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Ps 119:101-103)

In order to observe [obey] God’s Word, we endeavor to live holy, upright lives. This is because we consider the Word of God to be sweeter and more satisfying to us than anything else in our lives.

The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver. (Ps 119:72)

The Word displays to us a right attitude through the above passage in Psalms. The psalmist said that God’s Word was more precious to him than thousands of gold and silver coins! He was saying that money paled in comparison to the value of God’s precious Word to him.

May each and every one of us agree with the psalmist in this matter. Praise the Lord!

BRIGHTEN SOMEONE’S DAY

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. (Pro 12:25 NIV)

A cheerful heart is good medicine . . . (Pro 17:22a NIV)

We all experience days when we feel a little down or maybe worried or stressed out. On days like those, we all appreciate a cheerful word or a phone call from a friend. We all need encouragement, and we need other believers to come alongside of us occasionally to strengthen us.

We need a fellow believer to encourage our faith, to remind us of God’s goodness and glorious attributes, and to let us know that we are loved by God. Only another person who follows Jesus, and has experienced life’s challenges and victories is able to help us in this way. I encourage us all to cultivate friends who are fellow believers and who have been serving the Lord longer than we, ourselves, have.

Jesus taught us to love one another, and to be kind to one another. He gave us His own example of how to live like this.

Offering hope, support, and cheer to one another is a wonderful and practical way to spread God’s love in this stress-laden world. It’s important to encourage yourself first, in the Word of God. Another way to encourage yourself in the Lord is to remember all of the answered prayers you have experienced, and to remember all of the miracles that God has performed in the past in answer to your prayers. Rejoice! Thank and praise the Lord for these past testimonies and victories. Once you have done these things, you will have the strength to minister to others.

But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Joh 16:33 NIV)

The Good News is still true. The Lord is always reliable, and we can depend upon His Word and His matchless love. He has overcome!

So take a little time every day to share joy and cheer with everyone around you—with your family, friends, and co-workers. Hallelujah!

Crucify the Earthly Nature

Today’s topic is the earthly nature of man with its passions and desires. The Bible urges us to put to death the deeds of the body.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Col 3:5 NIV)

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Rom 8:13)

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:24)

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul. (1 Pet 2:11 EHV)

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (1 Cor 6:18)

Why do you think the Scriptures urge us in so many passages of the Bible to:

Put to death the earthly nature;
Put to the death the deeds of the body;
Crucify the flesh;
Abstain from desires of the sinful flesh; and to
Flee sexual immortality?

1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Peter 2 state very clearly the reasons why we should obey the Bible:

Because the desires of the flesh war against our own souls; and
The one who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

When we allow the lusts of the flesh to govern our actions, then we sin against our very own bodies. How? Because our bodies have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19-20) This type of sin is an offense to our temple and the Holy Guest living within it.

We belong to God, and our individual bodies belong to God. We have chosen to follow Jesus of our own, free will; it hasn’t been forced upon us.

The Lord has sealed each believer and given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Cor 1:22)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph 4:30)

We are urged by the Word of God to live a righteous and holy life by the empowering grace of God. (See Rom 12:1; 1 Pet 1:15-16) Since the Lord has given us His gift of grace, we are enabled to live obedient, holy lives. He has given us victory through Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:57) Let us celebrate God’s goodness and mercy!

We are called, as followers of Jesus Christ and children of God to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits. God bless you!

Pay Attention to the Wisdom of God

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge; ¹⁸for it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; let them all be fixed upon your lips . . . (Pro 22:17-18)

Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. ³⁴Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. (Pro 8:33-34)

My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, ²that you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge. (Pro 5:1-2)

As we read these passages from the Bible shown above, we can clearly see one theme shining through which is that we need to pay attention to and obey the Wisdom of God.

The Bible is filled with the wisdom of God from the beginning to the end. As we fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word, we will learn about God’s nature and goodness as well as about His eternal wisdom.

As we choose to obey God’s will and to yield to His wisdom, we will experience God’s blessings and prosperity. As we continue to yield to His Word throughout the course of our life, we will acquire a merciful and loving heart toward others, and a deep desire to bless other people. This is truly the outworking of God’s life and Spirit within us.

Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24, 30), and in Him, this wisdom is available to us. Glory to God!

The Lord, our Rock

The Lord Jesus, is our Rock and our salvation. The Bible refers to the Rock, our Savior, in several passages. Here are just a handful.

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior! (2 Sam 22:47)

The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. (Ps 18:46)

Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle— (Ps 144:1)

. . . and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4)

And “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. (1 Pet 2:8)

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the Lord gave them water from a rock to quench their thirst and to meet their needs. (Neh 9:15; Isa 48:21) The Lord proved Himself more than once to His people as their Provider and their Deliverer.

As the Bible passage shown above demonstrate, Christ is called the Rock, our Savior.

In this day and age, many are offended at the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why He is also prophesied to be “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” There are so many religions and ideologies being espoused around the world, that the true path to salvation can be obscured and undermined. Present-day Christianity is under attack.

Jesus was considered a criminal and a blasphemer—so as His followers, we can’t expect much better treatment than what our Lord received. His sentence, unjust though it clearly was, was death. Pilate was so disturbed by it that he washed his hands of all responsibility for it.

However, the Lord lives! Hallelujah! We drink in His glory, holiness, and goodness. We are made righteous by the sacrifices that Jesus made on our behalf. We are reconciled to our Father God, and have a multitude of reasons to exalt and to praise the Lord!

Remember that the Rock is our foundation for faith and for eternal life!

Benefits of Our Salvation

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Ps 23:6)

We determine that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and that goodness and mercy shall follow us by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. With that one decision, we also decide to accept all of the benefits and blessings of our salvation—which are unlimited!

Of course, the Bible also informs us that there will be persecution for our faith for which we must be prepared. (Mt 5:44; 10:23; Lk 21:12) But we can and should expect both, especially God’s blessings.

The blessings of salvation are many, varied, and unlimited. You truly need to study the Bible to locate all of the promised blessings, but I love to list at least some of them for people to meditate upon and to rejoice over!

God is our shield and surpassingly great reward (Gen 15:1)
The Lord is our healer (Ex 15:26)
His joy is our strength (Neh 8:10)
Jesus is our Open Heaven (Joh 1:51)
All of God’s promises to us are answered “Yes” and “So be it” through Jesus, our Lord (2 Cor. 1:20)
The Lord gives us a long life (Ps 91:16)
God gives us good things to eat and renews our youth (Ps 103:5)
God gives us an incorruptible inheritance (1 Pet 1:3-4)
God give us eternal life. (Joh 3:15)

These are just a small handful of the benefits of trusting in God and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Meditate on how much God loves you, and how very much He wants to bless you every single day of your life! Hallelujah!

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Tag: goodness