Looking for Fruit
As believers, we all want the fruit of the Spirit, but how can we know if we truly have it? Even unbelievers can display these qualities when conditions are positive. This nine-fold fruit of the Spirit is not what we do, but who we are, and it is primarily on display in Christians when circumstances are unfavorable. Two characteristics help us recognize these traits in our lives.
Fruitful believers are not controlled by their environment. Everyone experiences trials and pain, but those who are filled with the Spirit do not lose His fruit because of their situations. They keep their joy even when difficulties overwhelm. If someone speaks harshly, they respond with kindness. Because the Holy Spirit is in control, He is free to produce His fruit no matter what the circumstances are. Even though such believers may feel pain, anger, or a desire for revenge, they choose to trust the Lord to protect them and direct the outcome.
Fruitful Christians recover quickly after a fall. These believers are not perfect, but they are sensitive to the Spirit's conviction and are quick to return to the Lord in repentance. In fact, they are actually grateful for the correction and praise God, not only for revealing their weakness but also for drawing them back to obedience.
No one produces these amazing qualities in himself. Trying harder to be godly will never work. Character transformation occurs when we submit to God, giving Him complete control of our lives. Only then will the Spirit be free to produce fruit that remains even in the deepest, darkest storms.
~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~
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Running the Race—with a Running Partner
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean that Jesus is the “Author” and “Finisher” of our faith? The Greek word archegos means that He is the Captain, Leader, or Prince of our faith. The Greek for “finisher” is teleiotes, which means He is the Completer of our faith.
Jesus had His eye on the goal—He could see you saved. He paid the price so you could be saved.
ACTION POINT:
Do you want to know how to run the race? Jesus is your example. Keep your eyes on Him. He is the Savior who not only shows you how to run the race, but He lives within you through the Holy Spirit and runs the race through you. Praise God—we are never alone!
“Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean that Jesus is the “Author” and “Finisher” of our faith? The Greek word archegos means that He is the Captain, Leader, or Prince of our faith. The Greek for “finisher” is teleiotes, which means He is the Completer of our faith.
Jesus had His eye on the goal—He could see you saved. He paid the price so you could be saved.
ACTION POINT:
Do you want to know how to run the race? Jesus is your example. Keep your eyes on Him. He is the Savior who not only shows you how to run the race, but He lives within you through the Holy Spirit and runs the race through you. Praise God—we are never alone!
~Adrian Rogers~
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Giving to God First
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. Philippians 4:17-19
We quote Philippians 4:19 frequently to ease our concerns about insufficient finances as we say, "I know that God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." However, did you know that the context of this verse is about giving, not receiving? According to the context of this Scripture, Paul was saying that we will receive from God if we are willing to give to God first. Paul was thanking the Philippi believers for giving to him. Paul also said that he had learned to be content in all circumstances and he was thankful that they gave, so that fruit may abound on their behalf.
Why is it so difficult to give first? How can we live with an eternal perspective when it comes to money? Because we need to pay real life monthly bills, make actual house payments and physically handle money, it is difficult to believe that our money will go the extra distance by giving tithes and offerings. We can give away older things to replace them with newer things, although that kind of giving tends to be to our personal advantage. We can give to our families and even to our own social life, but to tithe regularly seems impossible. The word "tithe" means a tenth or 10% and God specifies that the amount is subtracted from our first fruits (our gross salary). God also talks about "offerings." An offering is in addition to the tithe. This seems like it would require too much faith to even begin giving.
But God asks us to give so He can bless us, to give cheerfully, not with clenched fists. If we open our hands freely to the work of God, we are in a position that we can freely receive from His open hand toward us. Corrie ten Boom said, "I have learned to hold on to things loosely because it hurts when God pries them away." The interesting thing about clenched fists towards God is that we can never protect what we have from God any way. Remember: God will supply all of our needs when we supply to His first.
Oh Lord, help me to give to You without my left hand knowing what my right hand is doing. Let me be a blessing to You first and I will trust You to take care of me.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
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Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you (Isa. 30:18).
Where showers fall most, there the grass is greenest. I suppose the fogs and mists of Ireland make it "the Emerald Isle"; and whenever you find great fogs of trouble, and mists of sorrow, you always find emerald green hearts; full of the beautiful verdure of the comfort and love of God.
O Christian, do not thou be saying, "Where are the swallows gone? They are gone; they are dead." They are not dead; they have skimmed the purple sea, and gone to a far-off land; but they will be back again by and by.
Child of God, say not the flowers are dead; say not the winter has killed them, and they are gone. Ah, no! though winter hath coated them with the ermine of its snow; they will put up their heads again, and will be alive very soon.
Say not, child of God, that the sun is quenched, because the cloud hath hidden it. Ah, no; he is behind there, brewing summer for thee; for when he cometh out again, he will have made the clouds fit to drop in April showers, all of them mothers of the sweet May flowers.
And oh! above all, when thy God hides His face, say not that He hath forgotten thee. He is but tarrying a little while to make thee love Him better; and when He cometh, thou shalt have joy in the Lord, and shalt rejoice with joy unspeakable. Waiting exercises our grace; waiting tries our faith; therefore, wait on in hope; for though the promise tarry, it can never come too late.
--C. H. Spurgeon
--C. H. Spurgeon
"Oh, every year hath its winter,
And every year hath its rain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.
And every year hath its rain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.
"When new leaves swell in the forest,
And grass springs green on the plain,
And alders' veins turn crimson--
And the birds go north again.
And grass springs green on the plain,
And alders' veins turn crimson--
And the birds go north again.
"Oh, every heart hath its sorrow,
And every heart hath its pain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.
And every heart hath its pain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.
"'Tis the sweetest thing to remember,
If courage be on the wane,
When the cold, dark days are over--
Why, the birds go north again."
If courage be on the wane,
When the cold, dark days are over--
Why, the birds go north again."
~L. B. Cowman~
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Draw Near to God
Guest Writer: Meet my son-in-law Tripp Prince. We are blessed to have him as our guest writer.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8
When I was a child, I struggled to pray. If someone asked me to pray, say at a meal or before bed, I was happy to do so. However, in the activity of school, sports, and friends, I rarely took time to pause and seek the Lord in prayer. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I assumed this was something I would naturally grow into once I was older. However, now that I’m older, I often feel as though my growth in Christ is measured, not by my mastery of the Christian life and faith, but by my willingness to acknowledge my need and dependence upon Him.
As adults, we struggle to pray. In the midst of work, parenting, and other family and social commitments, at times it feels nearly impossible to build a consistent rhythm of prayer into the schedule. As such, when we do pray, we are often tempted to reduce our prayers to the bare minimum: requests for favor, protection, or improved health. While God cares deeply about these practical needs, He desires so much more out of our prayer lives!
As theologian and pastor Michael Ramsey once said, “The secret (to prayer) is the quest of God’s presence.” God wants you to share your needs and desires, your fears and insecurities, but He also invites you to simply come into His presence and be transformed. When we pray, our aim should be nothing less than an encounter of divine love.
“You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek” (Psalm 27:8).
If you struggle with prayer or feel like God is distant and absent, draw near to Him with renewed faith and devotion. The great promise of Scripture is; when we seek the Lord, He is faithful to reveal Himself to us. Don’t see the busyness of your schedule as an excuse to neglect the Lord in prayer. Instead, invite the Lord into your schedule! Prayerfully seek His presence in the cubicle, on the soccer field, or at the backyard BBQ. In each and every situation, God is with us and desires to have a living relationship with us, yet we must respond to His love and draw near with faith.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You desire a living relationship with Your children. May we respond by drawing near to You with grateful hearts of praise.
Application: What is a practical prayer I can pray throughout my day today?
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8
When I was a child, I struggled to pray. If someone asked me to pray, say at a meal or before bed, I was happy to do so. However, in the activity of school, sports, and friends, I rarely took time to pause and seek the Lord in prayer. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I assumed this was something I would naturally grow into once I was older. However, now that I’m older, I often feel as though my growth in Christ is measured, not by my mastery of the Christian life and faith, but by my willingness to acknowledge my need and dependence upon Him.
As adults, we struggle to pray. In the midst of work, parenting, and other family and social commitments, at times it feels nearly impossible to build a consistent rhythm of prayer into the schedule. As such, when we do pray, we are often tempted to reduce our prayers to the bare minimum: requests for favor, protection, or improved health. While God cares deeply about these practical needs, He desires so much more out of our prayer lives!
As theologian and pastor Michael Ramsey once said, “The secret (to prayer) is the quest of God’s presence.” God wants you to share your needs and desires, your fears and insecurities, but He also invites you to simply come into His presence and be transformed. When we pray, our aim should be nothing less than an encounter of divine love.
“You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek” (Psalm 27:8).
If you struggle with prayer or feel like God is distant and absent, draw near to Him with renewed faith and devotion. The great promise of Scripture is; when we seek the Lord, He is faithful to reveal Himself to us. Don’t see the busyness of your schedule as an excuse to neglect the Lord in prayer. Instead, invite the Lord into your schedule! Prayerfully seek His presence in the cubicle, on the soccer field, or at the backyard BBQ. In each and every situation, God is with us and desires to have a living relationship with us, yet we must respond to His love and draw near with faith.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You desire a living relationship with Your children. May we respond by drawing near to You with grateful hearts of praise.
Application: What is a practical prayer I can pray throughout my day today?
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
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