bible

What Kind Of Fruit Are You Bearing?

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Proverbs 24:30-31 is a great illustration of what happens when we neglect the vineyard in our hearts. It says, “I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.”

What a picture of fallow ground. At my old place, the back part of the property was fallow ground. It grew weeds that propagated weed seeds that wreaked havoc with my garden beds. Thistles and nettles were abundant.

Fruit that will glorify the Lord comes through our intimate communion with Him. It is in our quiet time with Him that He reveals the hidden weeds in our heart that choke out His word. Matthew 13:22 says of thorny fallow ground, that the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke His word ~ rendering us unfruitful.

God’s Purpose Revealed ~ Part One

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2 Timothy 1:9 says that God’s plan for salvation was determined before time began. Verse 10 says, “But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

The One Who spoke ‘Let there be light’ is Light. John 1:3-4 says, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Verse 9 says, “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The mystery remained in God’s heart until it was time for Jesus to be revealed.

God’s Purpose ~ Part One

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2 Timothy 1:9 says, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

As I was memorizing this verse, I stopped to savor this point. God’s own purpose and grace. I encourage you to say this: I am saved according to God’s own purpose and grace. Roll it around in your mind, savor every word, and let it permeate your heart. 

Then take your thoughts to the truth that this was all set in place before time began. Genesis 1:4-5 says, “…God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

We live by time. God orchestrates our lives through His purpose for each of us that will never be thwarted. Job 42:2.

Made Without Hands ~ Part One

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Colossians 2:11-12 says, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

As I started to memorize verse 11 I thought back to accounts that required no hands. Remember the king’s dream? Daniel 2:45 says, “Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands…”

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Verse 3 says, “Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” No hands involved in all of creation except when He created man.

Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Mystery Revealed ~ Part One

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The mystery that Paul wrote about in Colossians 1:27 is not like the word we use. There are many mysteries that remain unsolved in human experiences. In verses 25-26 Paul wrote about the ministry God called him to.

The ministry to the Gentiles was given to him to fulfill the word of God. Verse 26 says, “The mystery which has been  hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” 

This mystery was hidden in God’s heart all along. Verse 27 says, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 says, “But we speak the wisdom of God in  a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory. which none of the rulers of this age knew…”

God Is Unequaled

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I love Isaiah 40. I encourage you to read it. I review it when I start to lose perspective. Verse 12 says, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?’ 

Verse 18 says, “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? Verse 23 says, “He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.”

Verse 25 says, “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy One.” Verse 28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.”

Verse 29’s promise, “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

Upheld By God

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We are included as He upholds all things. Psalm 63:8 Amplified is one of my anchor verses. It says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

That takes me to Isaiah 41:10. If you haven’t memorized it yet, I encourage you to do so. It says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Psalm 104:5 says, “You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever.” 

In Job 38 God asked Job some questions. Verse 4 says, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” Verse 6 says, “To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone.” If you ever question God’s ways in your life, read Job 38-42:2.

The Path Of Grace

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Philippians 2:8 says of Jesus, “…He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” 

Trials test our obedience as they build our endurance. Think of Abram. God appeared to him and said, “…Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.:” Genesis 12:1. 

Catch verse 4. It says, “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him…Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” In obedience he packed up everything, and with his family and livestock headed out to follow God. I moved lock stock and barrel in 2004 to take care of my parents 24/7. I left my friends and church family to follow the Lord’s leading.

The path of obedience is strewn with grace. As we follow the Lord, we walk in His footsteps. Psalm 85:13. He always goes before us to prepare the way. 

At All Times~Part One

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As I began to memorize Colossians 3:12-13, the Holy Spirit showed me something that I had never connected before. The previous three verses were about putting on. Verse 12 says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved…” The first part was written about our position in Christ which never changes.

However the second part was written about our state of mind which changes all the time. The verse continues, “…put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” Five character qualities that Jesus displayed at all times. 

Verse 13 says, “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” This verse reminds us that at all times, and in every circumstance of our lives, we are to live in forgiveness. Forgiveness is a life skill. Many diseases are rooted in the destructive stress caused by buried unforgiveness.

Stuck In A Rut~Part One

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A rut in a deep groove. There are physical as well as emotional and spiritual ruts. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above, and not on things on the earth.”

Addictions are a spiritual rut. They are formed from a destructive mindset that is constantly fed by self-talk lies. Galatians 5:16 says, “…Walk in the Spirit: and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Our flesh strongly opposes the Holy Spirit. I like to think about it like this. Try connecting two magnets. They repel each other because they are polar opposites. Verse 17 says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

Destructive mindsets are houses of thoughts that radically oppose God’s way. They will only fall when we renew our minds with God’s word.