Our fruit brings glory to our Dad...

John 15:7-8
7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. 8 “In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. (WEB)

The best way that a farmer is honored is when he has a bountiful harvest. It is when he sees the fruit of all his labor come to fruition, that he and those around him celebrate all his investment into the fruit growing process. I imagine there is a great sense of satisfaction when a farmer looks at his crop and sees that it is as big and as bountiful as it could possibly be. That is what brings glory to the farmer. If the fruit is sickly and half the size that it should be, the farmer cannot rejoice because the fruit didn't live up to its potential.

I think the fruitfulness that Jesus talks about in John 15 may be a little bit like that. The fruit that brings glory to our heavenly Father is the bountiful supply of fruit that we display in our own lives. While the work that we are all called to is part of our life's fruitfulness, I believe that the Biblical definition of fruit can be found in Galatians 5:22-23... 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (WEB)

The more that we bear the personal fruitfulness of being loved by God and loving ourselves, being at peace with God and ourselves, being full of the joy of the Lord, being patient with others and ourselves, being kind to others and ourselves... the more we will fulfill our destiny and bear the fruit that our Papa intended for us to yield.

My prayer today is that we would all set our eyes on the fruit that is truly important to our God and Father. The fruit that grows and flourishes as a result of us living in an intimate relationship with the living God that lives in us. In today's Bible passage, Jesus encourages us to 'remain in Him'. When we make our home in His heart, when we choose to abide in His loving presence every moment of every day, the end result will be fruitfulness beyond our wildest dreams! It is the fruit born in the soil of a good and noble heart that truly brings glory to our Dad... Thirty, sixty and one hundredfold!

Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,21 to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (WEB)

Taming the tongue...

James 3:8-9
8 But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. (WEB)

We may be able to control a lot of things, but one of the hardest things for us to control is our tongue. In today's Scripture reading, James tells us that we use our tongue to bring both blessings and cursings. Blessings to our heavenly Father and cursings to those who were made in His image.

My prayer today is that each one of us would know the incredible value that our Father places on every person on the planet. Each person was created in His image with the intent that mankind would all reflect His glory. Though many people reject Christ and don't get to realize their God-given destiny, we still need to be careful how we speak about those who are lost. No matter what their present spiritual condition is, they still reflect the image of the living God simply because they were created in His likeness.

The next time somebody mistreats you or cuts you off in rush hour traffic, try blessing them instead of the alternative. Perhaps if we begin to honor people simply because they were made in the image of God, they might start to look at themselves differently and open their hearts more to the good news of Jesus Christ. May we begin to look at people through the eyes of the One who knit them together in their mother's womb.

Luke 6:35-37
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful. 37 Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free. (WEB)

Near whenever we call...

Deuteronomy 4:7
For what great nation is there, that has a god so near to them, as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him? (WEB)

I love this description of the nearness of God that we find in the Old Testament. As the nation of Israel was God's favorite, they had the privilege of being able to call out to Him any time and He would hear them. If God was close to the Israelites way back then, how much closer is He to you and I now?

Not only is the Godhead around us, He lives within us now thanks to the New Covenant and the price that our elder brother paid for us to be born into His family. My prayer today is that you would know the nearness of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!

The Triune God lives in you! All the time! 24/7! There is no place where you can go where He doesn't go with you. And He is always attentive to your prayers and He is cheering you on! May you be encouraged today with the thought that our God is close to us whenever we call out to Him! He is listening right now!

Ephesians 2:18-22
18 For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, 20 being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (WEB)