Sometimes people ask me about fruit and I'm always glad? I love to think 'bout and discuss this vine-idea when I get a few minutes free ..like I have right now.
Now you know, God only expects two things from us... faithfulness and fruitfulness from His believers. Sure, He never said, Well done thou hardworking top producer for the Kingdom. No, no. But go check out these words of His: "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." 25/23mat.
Like fruitfulness, faithfulness is also something for us to look at very carefully. Believer, would you pray something like.. Dear Lord, I want to seek You and learn what's important to You! Bitte, re-wash (forgive) me, restore me, revive me, recommission me, and refill me with Your Spirit now. Make me faithful and fruitful for Your glory. Yes, right now rekindle that pure fire of vertical passion within my heart. Won't worry 'bout it, but please let Your faithfulness, Your fruitfulness, Your loveliness like a well-watered meadow, and Your holiness be what I'm about ..yes, let these aspects consistently be seen in me. God, I want others to see Christ without any distortion or duplicity on my part. Help me walk in Your Word, but not get in Your way today. It's because I desire to be used and glorify You in Jesus Name. Amen.
Has your life thus far seemed somewhat barren, empty, non-impacting or insignificant? You are very important to God and He can change all that. Perhaps you desire to see fruit, more fruit, and much fruit?
Has your life thus far seemed somewhat barren, empty, non-impacting or insignificant? You are very important to God and He can change all that. Perhaps you desire to see fruit, more fruit, and much fruit?
"Abide in Me." ~ Jesus
You know that Christian "abiding" has to do with making your relationship with God through Christ ..the very top priority. Yeah "Seek ye first" pretty much means.. before all that other stuff that you might feel like A.S.A.P. doin' each day (c6/33mat). I say begin the year, the month, the day ..with the Lord and you'll never regret it. Just watch what He will do as you obey!
"Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." 1/7pr.msg.
Perhaps you are asking, from a biblcial perspective... What is fruit?
1. Boldly introducing people to Jesus Christ.. is fruit!
Obeying the Lord ..in livin'-out and sharing His Gospel produces fruit for God. Yes, the Apostle Paul and others told us this. Just leave the results up to Him cuz He's the only One who can save people.
The Bible says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls. If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner!" 11/30pr.
2. Christian character that comes from intimately knowing God.. is fruit.
"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." 6/22rom.
Want fruit? Christ-likeness is very important for every believer. God desires to use every believer in regards to His Great Commission.
You know that too many people religiously do their own thing down here. They live exactly how they feel like living instead of according to the Word of God. And they do this jive in the Name of Jesus—this gives the Gospel a black eye so to speak. Much of the time it doesn't represent the Lord well at all. Yes, Christ said, "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me.." c15jn.
3. Spiritual fruit can be seen in givin' as the Holy Spirit directs ..and according to God this is credited to your account.
I'm not talking here about some give-to-get word-faith "God-wants-us-all-wealthy-all-the-time" error. But Paul wrote this, "For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things [sent] from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 4/16-19phil.
"Not that I seek" money. No, Paul really wasn't greedy and out on the take. He wasn't livin' for what he could get for himself post conversion. And we should be like that either.
I like what the Bible says, "But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them.." 45/5jer.
"In everything I (Paul) showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" 20/35acts
These words on givin' and fruit are in there - in the Book. Listen friend, I can't just cut these words out of the Bible for anyone.
4. Good works of Christian service in some form of Bible-loyal ministry.. is fruit.
"Don't make 'church-attendance' with a healthy Bible teaching fellowship a flip of the coin kinda thing.. according to the weather or what you or your children might feel. Go faithfully and become fruitful! Don't give your dear children the option—they aren't the parents of the family." ~ @kurtwvs
"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously.." 1/10col.
5. In Christ, praising and sincerely thanking God.. is fruit.
"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." 13/15heb.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.." 5/22gal.
Love ain't God as many tend to say (cus according to the Greeks there's at least five types of love..), but God is Love. Pure and unselfish. People enjoy loving and being loved. Sure, it's cuz people were made in the very image of God and that's exactly what He enjoys - loving and being loved by people. He doesn't need us, but we sure need Him - we need His love. As the Initiator - He loved first. We simply respond.
It's so imperative that you repent and believe the Gospel.. that you get to know the Lord today.. even now. Don't put it off. Want you there! We must be together with God for eternity!
You can count on Christ to produce fruit in you as you stay connected. He is of course your Vine and you are His branch (you and I have been bought at a price - Christ paid with His blood on the Cross), believer. In His vineyard, don't let anything or anyone break you off and away from Jesus. You can't lose if you don't quit.
"Others (seed) fell among the thorns" said Jesus, “and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear." 13/7-8mat. That’s a good warning that I want to take heed to. Why? Well, I never want my fruitfulness in the Lord ..or potential fruitfulness in my future.. to get choked out by any cares of the world. None of us should.
Listen, no matter how bummed-out you might feel at times, or how desperate your circumstances might look, the one thing that you can always count on is the Lord's unfailing Love for you. Let nothing distract you away from Jesus. The Vine will be true to His branches and vineyard. If you'll be in the Word as a loving, caring Christian, you'll abide bearing fruit. Jesus'll walk and talk with you - guiding. He'll meet your every need as you look to Him. Let His fresh zoe life flow in and through you today. Others are thirsty for Him. He is SO there for ya. Even if or when all others walk out (of your life), He'll walk in - won't ditch ya ever. facebook.com/shareJesus
