Promise for Today - As We See It

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 thornbushes, 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.
Matthew 7:15-20 NLT

Look at that piece of fruit - it looks SO good! You can't wait to sink your teeth into it. You pick it up and find that the hidden side is rotten, bruised, or has a wormhole. You can't go by looks. Looks are deceiving.

It's the same with people we meet. Or teachers we might listen to - whether online or in person. And that's much more dangerous and harmful. They might look good. They might even smile, but the point Christ makes in this passage is that we must examine the fruit. Do their words line up with God's Word? Are they consistent? Does their lifestyle portray God's love and seek after His holiness? Are they transparent in their walk with the Lord?

Do NOT be deceived by the way something or someone looks and/or by empty promises.

Prayer:

Father,
          We pray for the gift of discerning the spirits, whether they be false or of You, as included in 1 Corinthians 12:10. Holy Spirit, lead us into all Truth, and do not let us be deceived. As we spend time with You and Your Word, help us to rightly divide the words of Truth to share with others. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Walls

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Proverbs 25:28 ESV

These days when we talk about walls or no walls, it usually has to do with emotional walls that people use to keep other people at arm's length and to protect themselves. The basic function of walled cities is the same.

Walls around cities for defense go back as far as the 8th millennium B.C., Some historians believe even back to the 10th millennium B.C. Cities that had no walls had no hope of holding off an enemy attack. Walls were effective only as long as they were not broken down or breached by the invaders. 

One of the most well-known was the impenetrable wall of Jericho, about 12 feet high and almost 6 feet thick. There was no way for the Israelites to get in, but God! And it was accomplished by obedience and high praise (both are spiritual disciplines). Man did not bring down the wall - it was a miraculous victory credited only to the power of God. 

And so our lives are a miraculous victory over sin credited only to the power of God! Galatians 5:22-23 tells of the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit evidenced in our lives of which self-control is one. When we walk in the fruit of the Spirit, we are strengthened and fortified to overcome the enemy. 

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for being our Protector and Provider, our Healer and our Peace. Thank You for loving us so much to give us the means and the power to overcome all the fiery darts of the wicked. Remind us to daily walk completely full in the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In Jesus' Name we pray.

Amen

Seed Away

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Mark 4:3-8 NLT

So the farmer goes out to plant seed. Jesus makes no distinction about the kinds of seed. It's all the same seed. It's all good seed. The only difference is where it is sown. It is absolutely guaranteed to produce fruit in the right soil... but it has to be planted.

Read on from our text for today...
Mark 4:13-20 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

You can have enough seed to plant the entire Earth, but if you don't actually plant the seed, what good does it do? Is it still seed? Yes! Does it have within it all that is necessary to produce fruit? Yes! Will it all bring forth fruit? Not unless it’s put into fertile ground.

It’s not just about the seed. Are our hearts prepared to receive it?

Prayer:

Father,
            Help us to prepare our hearts to be fertile soil that will hear and receive Your Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as has been planted. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Wait for It

He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
Mark 4:26-29 NIV

Growing things is a process. That's what our text teaches us today. You sow and then you wait. If you put it in good soil, it might sprout quicker. If you water it, the seed stands a better chance. But you don't harvest a corn plant before the ears are full of corn, and then not until it's ripe. If you pluck it before its time, it's not good for eating or for reseeding. Even the horses don't want it.

So if the Kingdom of God is like the planting process, then for us to come into full corn will take a while, don't you think? And if we pluck something to use before its time, then it's not good for what it was planted to provide. According to the Word of God, Matthew 7:19 & 20, 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.

We need to wait on the Lord. Stop trying to force the fruit. Do you want to try to live on unripe fruit? Would you eat a green banana?

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to run the race You've set before us without cutting corners or jumping fences. Help us to stay the course until we come to full fruition. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Hope for a Harvest

You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to Me, He gives you.
But remember the root command: Love one another.
John 15:16-17 The Message


Oftentimes, in the Christian realm, we think bearing fruit means winning souls for the kingdom of God. It's not the only fruit mentioned in Scripture. If you've walked with the Lord for very long, you've heard about the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

There are the fruits of righteousness - fruits born of the Jesus that has been planted inside of us. Holiness, good works. Yes, the Bible calls us to be fruitful in every good work. Ephesians 2:10 reads, For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Has what's been planted in you taken root? Are you seeing the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in your daily life? If you're not seeing the actual fruit, are you at least seeing the buds or blossoms? 

The Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke 13, assures us that God wants and expects us to bear fruit. It shows us that God is willing to go the extra mile for us if there is even hope that we will bear fruit for His glory. Hope for a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, holiness, and good works born out of our relationship with Christ.

Prayer:

Father,

          We pray Your Word from Philippians 1:9-11 The Message,  So this is my prayer: that our love will flourish and that we will not only love much but well. That we will learn to love appropriately. We need to use our head and test our feelings so that our love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Cause us to live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. And we will hope for the harvest. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Losing the Right Weight

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, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:1-5 NLT

If you've ever struggled with a weight issue, you know there are more quick fix, empty promise, flat-out lying so-called plans and programs than you can shake a fork at.

However, God made the original eating plan. In Genesis 1:29, God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food." And nutritionists will tell you, fruit is obviously healthy for you - Eat more fruit.

Christ also told us that it's not what goes into the man that defiles him, but what comes out of him, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that our mouths speak. And that's a totally different kind of fruit. Some of it just stinks - Some of it is rotting.

Galatians 5:22-23a NLT tells us, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So, if we follow God's plan for our lives then the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be evident in our lives and we'll be healthier because of it. For instance, we will lose the weight of bitterness and unforgiveness and past hurts, just to name a few.

Would you like some more fruit?

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for the provision of nutrition for our minds, souls, and bodies. Help us to clear our temple so that You feel welcome in our hearts and there is plenty of room for You. In Jesus' Name we pray.

* A Victory Garden

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23a NLT

Victory Gardens were vegetable and fruit gardens planted during WWI and WWII to supplement the public food supply during the war effort. It required giving up private residence yard space and public lot areas to be tilled and toiled to produce crops. Rocks and stones had to be removed, weeds and grass dug up and removed, hard ground broken up and worked - all to make room for and to be able to receive seed. It took discipline and commitment, but it produced victorious results.

When we give our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to produce fruit in our lives. The verses prior to our Promise for Today tell us what rocks, stones and weeds need to be removed from our lives, what hardness of heart needs to be broken up and worked out of our nature. Galatians 5:19-21, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Our lives can be FULL of the fruits of the Holy Spirit! Let's make room and till up the soil of our hearts! It will take discipline and commitment, but we can have our Victory Garden.

Prayer:

Father,

           Soften our hearts by the washing of water by the Word. Help us to prepare so that the seed sown by the Sower will fall on good soil and produce a bumper crop. We want to walk fully in the fruits of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Seeing Fruit

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23a NLT

We've been talking about seasons. In the Fall is a great time for harvesting apples, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, asparagus... mmmmm, good stuff. The oranges are just now turning the right color and a whole 'nother crop of pomegranates are about ready. I love watching the plants and trees bud, blossom, and deliver. I can see what's coming and know how good it's going to be when it ripens and matures.

We're supposed to be God's harvest. What does He see as He watches us? Do we blossom? Are we growing? Is there any evidence of His fruit in our lives - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, or Self-Control? What DOES He see?

Prayer:

Father,
            We know it is only by Your Grace that we even have life, but we want to honor You in all our ways. Lord, we want to pass the fruit inspection of our lives. Help us to perfectly reflect You to a seeking world. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen