Spiritual Fruit
The Lord your God wants to lead you to a life where you receive the best that God offers so that you produce spiritual fruit that nourishes others.
"The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods...do not yield to them or listen to them...You must destroy it completely"
Deuteronomy 13:3-4, 6, 8, 12-15
It has been said that you are the only Bible that some people will read. What do they hear when they hear you speak? What do they read when the look at your life? What kind of fruit is your life bearing? Wisdom says you can tell a fruit tree by the fruit it bears.
What do you want to produce? The passage says that the Lord is testing whether you love Him with all your best. Is that not the same as a farmer who examines his fruit trees to see what needs to be pruned? Tests are good as they reveal the truth. God warns the people to be careful about what they allow into their minds, hearts, and souls. Jesus said a little yeast changes a whole batch. How does it impact your devotion to the Lord when you spend time with people who are directing their life opposite of the ways of Jesus? Does it not influence your thinking? God says set clear boundaries and get rid of anything that is not from Him.
“You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing...Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more...Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance...I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence"
Psalms 16:2, 4-8, 11
David declares that intimacy with God is what he desires most. He says apart from you God I have no good thing. What is David really saying? He says that he does not desire the things of the world that can lead his heart astray. He sees no value or pleasure in anything that is not from God. Is that your heart? What do you desire most?
David displays tremendous gratitude. He gives thanks and praise to God for all that he does have and not what he does not have. When he is pleased with the boundary lines, he is saying he is happy with what he has. Are you happy with what you have or would you like the boundary lines adjusted? David has discovered that what brings him real joy is the presence of the Lord. Are we not meant to feel the same? As we fix our minds on the gift of our salvation and on the Holy Spirit that indwells us, should we not also be filled with the joy of the presence of the Lord?
“The righteous hate what is false...Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Proverbs 13:5, 15, 20
Christians have often had the unfortunate reputation as being judgmental over the years. Judgment of others where we label, look down upon, or are unloving is not the judgment that helps us draw closer to God. However, judgment in itself between what is from God and what is not from God, is a very good thing. We should be people who judge actions, not other people.
Solomon says good judgment wins favor then he compares the opposite as a path of destruction. If you look closely, you can see that Solomon views the opposite of good judgment as being unfaithful. He is saying that the person who is faithful to God alone naturally listens to what God says and tests as God tests whether something is from godly. Solomon also says that the people you spend time with matters. If you walk with the wise you become wise. How are you surrounding people who sharpen you and help shape your devotion to God? How could you take time to judge or test your actions to make sure they are in alignment with God?
“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple"
Ezekiel 43:1-2, 4-5, 10, 12, 26
What an incredible moment that must have been for Ezekiel. Can you imagine being in a place where the glory of the Lord filled the temple? Can you imagine how joyful, peaceful, powerful, and hopeful that moment must have been for Ezekiel? The moment that Ezekiel experienced is a prelude to what the Messiah, Jesus Christ did so that we too could experience what Ezekiel experienced.
One of the truths that emerges in scripture is that we are meant to be filled with the presence of the Lord. Jesus said it will be better for you if I leave because you will receive the Holy Spirit. You will receive the indwelling of the glory of God as you understand that your body is meant to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. What could you do today to make room in your heart so that you can be filled with more of the Holy Spirit? The Lord your God always have more for you as you create room for Him.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love...The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:1, 4-6, 9, 13-14, 16-17, 19-26
The bible says that without vision people perish. What is the vision that you have for your life? Do you want to live a life of freedom, joy, love, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? What are you willing to give up to make sure that you produce the fruits of the Spirit? Are you willing to give up time on electronics or social media so you can be connected the Vine?
Paul has seen it all. He has seen lives that are ruined by allowing the ways of the world to infect the hearts of people who were made to be holy. What does he warn against? The temptations and desires of the flesh. He gives a whole list. Do you think anyone at the end of their life, on their death bed, wishes that they had spent any more time doing the things of the flesh? Why do we allow those things into our lives? Does it not always start like God warned in Deuteronomy where we allowed ourselves to listen to someone who led us astray? Does it not all connect back to what Solomon said about who you spend time with and whether you use good judgment regarding how you live?
God wants to give us what David had. A personal, intimate relationship with Him where we experience the best of the inheritance that we are meant to receive through the power of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the advice from God and allow Jesus to lead you to a life of freedom full of the fruits of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:1, 4-6, 9, 13-14, 16-17, 19-26