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Dear Christian Believer,
God bless you and your families in the name of Jesus Christ.
Although the falling snow outside my window
reminds me that it is winter, I cannot help myself from
thinking thoughts of a rapidly approaching spring. The
sights and smell of spring never fails to alert us to
the fact that life- new, fresh, flourishing life, is about
to manifest around us culminating in an abundance of growth,
budding, and the bearing of fruit. Such is God’s will
for His people, that we manifest fresh flourishing life
with the end result that we bear fruit.
Matthew 7:17-20
“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good
tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
It is quite easy to
discern who is living their life for the one true God
versus those who are not. It is evidenced by their fruit.
The godly person bears much good fruit, the unglodly does
not. In the parable of the sower Jesus utilizes this reference
to fruit to illustrate a believer who has rooted and grounded
himself into good soil with the result of bearing fruit.
Mark 4:20 “And these are they which are sown on good ground;
such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth
fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty and some an hundred.”
You see, the amount of fruit in a person’s life can vary
as we are all different and are believing and applying
God’s work at varying levels. However, the end result
should always be the same, that we bear fruit. Psalm 92:13
“Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring
forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.”
Flourishing in verse 24 in the Hebrew means “green.”.
In plant life a vine or branch when it is green indicates
life and that fruit will manifest itself in due time.
God sees us growing to old age and still being green with
life and manifesting fruit. Why? Verse 15 says, “To shew
that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is
no unrighteousness in him.”
Sometimes we do not see the fruit in our lives
immediately. Is that any different from the plant world?
If we plant a tomato seed today will it spring up, mature
and produce fruit tomorrow? NO! It takes patient endurance
to nourish that plant, protect and support that plant
before we see the evidence of fruit. Luke 8:15 “But that
on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good
heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth
fruit with patience. When we wait patiently for trees
and plants to produce fruit we often stake them into the
ground. A stake is a post sharpened at one end and driven
into the ground as a support for that tree or plant against
the storms of life. While we grow and mature and bear
fruit we too can be staked for support. We can stake our
lives to God’s wonderful Word. His Word is pure, strong,
and able to withstand all the storms of life. God proclaims
in His Word that since the first day we heard and received
the truth of His Word, that we were capable of bearing
fruit. Colossians 1:6 “which is come unto you as it is
in all the world;; and bringeth forth fruit as it doth
also in you, since the day ye heard of it.” Fruit is the
natural by product of the cultivated seed.
As God set things in order in Genesis, He repeatedly
instructs all things to multiply and bear fruit. Genesis
1:22 “Be fruitful and multiply.” Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful
and multiply.” Genesis 9:1 “Be fruitful...” Genesis 9:7
“Be ye fruitful...”
It is pretty clear that from the beginning the
bearing of fruit has been God’s will. I do not see any
verses of scripture that encourage us to dry up and wither
away on the vine without fruit, do you? So let’s stake
our lives to God and his Word, let’s be that good soil
where his seed can flourish and mature and bear much fruit.
God
bless your fruitful lives,
Bob Faller
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