Bear Good Fruit

Do you think of yourself as being a good person? Would you like to be a better person? How do you define a good person? What if you could receive guidance and help in becoming a better person? Would you accept it?

Most of us want to be better than we are. We want others to view us as being a good person. We like the idea of people pointing at us and stating we are good and do good things for other people, even if we don’t enjoy public attention.

Some of us wrestle with bad attitudes or behavior. For some, it is due to having bad experiences in family life, school, or at work. We have allowed our surroundings to negatively influence us. How can we combat the negative influences?

God has provided us with the perfect Helper—the Holy Spirit. As we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His guidance, we become the better person we want to be, and the person God wants us to be.

The Holy Spirit is God within us. That may be a bit hard to imagine. How can God be in us? He indwells us with His Spirit as promised by Jesus (John 14:16, 26). He is sent to help us, teach us, and remind us of Jesus’ teaching and who He is. He guides us on the path God wants us to follow and that God loves us, which is why He has saved us.

As the Holy Spirit helps us, He produces fruit through us. We reap many rewards by listening to and following His guidance. We become a person others want to be around. Others will begin to ask us questions about how we can stay positive. This gives us an opportunity to tell them about Jesus and how He has worked in our lives, which may result in others coming into the kingdom of God.

I pray we all desire to be better people. I pray we listen to and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit through us. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Follow His guidance. Be a better person. Be someone others long to be like. Tell others how Jesus has worked in your life. Encourage others to come into the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:22-23 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.

God’s Gift

Have you done something to receive a gift or prize? Was the gift a lasting gift, one that you were able to use or enjoy for many years? Did you pass the gift on to others? Do you know there is a gift you can receive that will last for your entire life?

We may receive hundreds of small gifts throughout our lives. Some gifts are given to us by people who love us. Other gifts we may call rewards, which are given to us for performing a task. We may call them prizes.

When we are given a gift, prize, or reward for doing something well, we feel a sense of achievement. We may also feel as though we deserve the reward. Receiving rewards or prizes can make us feel good about ourselves, even thinking more highly of ourselves than we should.

God has a gift waiting for us that we do not deserve but can receive by doing something that is both simple and difficult. The difficulty comes with repenting. Being truly sorrowful for our sins and desiring to make a change can be very challenging. We have become accustomed to our behavior and doing what we want. But to receive the gift God has for us, we must accept Jesus as our Savior and desire to make the positive change.

We might call this having a change of heart. And it is. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift that will last our lifetime. He comes to take up residence inside us. This is what is meant by God always being with us. He will provide us guidance and direction if we will listen. He will change us from the inside out. No, our physical appearance won’t change, per se. But we will become more attractive to others as our attitude changes for the better and we smile more.

I pray we all decide to have a change of heart. I pray we accept Jesus as our Savior. I pray each one of us will accept the gift of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to start changing us for the better. Repent of your sins. Accept Jesus as Savior. Receive the Holy Spirit. Begin the positive change.

Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

The Root

Have you ever cut down a tree? Do you know a tree will grow back if the roots are healthy? How do you stop a tree from growing back? How do you stop bad behavior? How do you keep people from being bad people?

The answer to all these questions lies in the roots. You must go to the root of the bad behavior to stop it. You must go to the root (or heart) of people to stop them from becoming bad people. You must destroy the root to keep a tree from coming back.

Why is the root so important? It is the root that draws nourishment from the soil. It pulls in the water and minerals from the soil to feed the trunk, to cause branches to grow, to cause leaves to sprout or blossoms to bloom. The root is the key.

It is the same for people. To make a change for the good, the bad root must be expelled. To keep a good person from turning bad, the person must continue to be fed good. When talking about people, their heart is the same as the root. Regardless of what we call it, it is where changes must be made and where good must be planted.

In today’s passage, John the Baptist is giving fair warning to the religious elite of Jewish religion that the root is about to be cut, which means they are about to fall from God’s grace. Why? They are not producing fruit—the fruit God wants them to produce.

Have we fallen into dormancy? Are we producing fruit for God? If not, we may find ourselves in the same situation the Pharisees and Sadducees found themselves in. However, we have been given fair warning and have the opportunity to change, just as they had. Taking John’s warning to heart (or root) is the best choice we can make.

Producing fruit is something God looks for. That doesn’t mean we are required to bring ten people into God’s kingdom. It does mean we are to represent His Son as an ambassador. We are to be a positive influence on those we encounter. We are to be the light of Jesus.

I pray we take John’s warning to heart. I pray we are good ambassadors for God. I pray we show the light of Jesus to everyone we meet. Be a good ambassador for God. Be the light of Jesus. Bear fruit for God. Do not risk being cut off at the root.

Matthew 3:10 “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The Fig Tree

Do you hear people speak idioms and sometimes wonder what they mean? Have you heard people use metaphors and not understand the point they were trying to make? Do you wonder why Jesus did some of the things He did?

We use a wide variety of sayings that mean something other than the words that constitute the saying. Some of them are widely spread while others are local only. Still, others may be unique to a specific group or organization. Yet, those who belong to the group or local area understand them.

We may also use metaphors to get a point across. They are often used in a teaching environment. A metaphor can be used to relate a process or procedure or a moral standard by using something familiar to the student.

Sometimes, an idiom is also a metaphor. For instance, if I were to say, “When you get bucked off a horse, you need to pick yourself up and get back on.” We understand it to mean when we fail, we must try again. It can apply to riding a bicycle, taking a test, or performing a task at work. We understand it encourages resilience, persistence, and eventual success.

In today’s passage, Jesus does something that doesn’t appear to make sense on the surface. He causes a fig tree to wither because it is not bearing fruit. Though He doesn’t explain it, we can gather its meaning by looking back at Isaiah 5 and Jeremiah 8. In both instances, the writer is prophesying what God will do in the future to Israel due to their disobedience.

How does this apply to us? If we are not bearing fruit, we will wither and die, just like the fig tree. Now, this doesn’t necessarily apply to us as individuals, though it could. However, the prophecy was for a large group. Might I suggest we can apply this metaphor to our churches, communities, and nation? Bearing good fruit for the kingdom of God is one task God has put before us. He is looking for the fruit He expects.

I pray we all seek to be productive members of God’s church. I pray we seek to contribute to His cause. I pray each one of us seek to bear good fruit for Jesus. Be productive. Produce good fruit. Seek God’s will. Know that God expects us to bear fruit.

Matthew 21:18-19 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Change of Heart

What does it mean to repent? Do you know? Have you done so? Do you want to repent? Have you found it hard to repent? Are you afraid God is upset at you for needing to repent repeatedly?

Repent is a word we don’t use often in our daily discussions. But just because we don’t use the term doesn’t mean we don’t speak of it. Listen closely to the discussion you have with your family or co-workers and see if you don’t hear repentance being spoken of at least once per day.

The basic Greek interpretation of metanoeo is to change your mind. Jesus and the apostles generally used it to refer to having a change of heart and turning back to God. John the Baptist uses it in the same way in today’s passage. How often do our discussions include saying one person or another needs to make a change for the better?

Yes, we talk about repentance without realizing it. Yet, our world lacks the actual execution of it. In fact, we hear people talking about someone else who needs to change, yet they won’t make the change themselves.

To repent can be difficult for us, but only because we don’t like giving up our desires for someone else’s. Our culture has trained us to think we deserve to have our wants. It has taught us to win at all costs. We have been brainwashed into thinking we are right solely because we think we are right.

Repenting, having a change of heart, turning to God is a choice. It is a choice that brings freedom—true freedom. Our burdens of guilt are lifted. We realize we are free to worship God wherever we are. It opens the communication between us and God. We see God at work in places we didn’t before.

I pray we all decide to turn back to God. I pray we give up our desires for His. I pray each one of us will choose to repent and be free in Jesus Christ. Have a change of heart. Change your mind. Turn to God. Ask for forgiveness. Be free of your burdens. See God at work.

Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Gather to Jesus

Are you protected from the storms of life? Do you want to be protected? Do you wish you had a protector who was unbeatable? Are you willing to come under the protection of someone else?

There are times when we wish the storm would pass quickly or simply stop. Things can get bad in a hurry it seems. But even in those times, we often don’t look for a protector. We would rather be strong enough to handle it on our own.

Sometimes, being strong, means huddling under a Protector. Have you considered it requires more strength to turn everything over to someone else than to hold onto it yourself? Sure, it is a different kind of strength. But it is strength all the same. We call it faith. Faith in the One who can protect us when we cannot protect ourselves.

Jesus would love nothing better than to gather us under His wings and protect us from evil. He would love for us to listen to Him just as a mother loves for her children to listen to her guidance. Why? He knows that by listening to Him, we will save ourselves a lot of hurt and pain.

Our calling is to gather under Jesus’ wings. We are called to love and trust Him. He desires nothing but good for each one of us. He wants us to be spared pain from making bad choices. However, it is our choice to allow Him to protect us or go off on our own.

I pray we all decide to gather under Jesus’ protection. I pray we turn to Him each day. I pray each one of us will choose strength of faith over bullheadedness. Gather under Jesus’ wings. Have strength of faith. Trust Jesus to protect you. Spare yourself the pain. Follow Jesus.

Luke 13:34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

In Jesus’ Name

Would you like to be confident that what you ask for will be granted? Do you long for being synchronized with the will of God? Does being in agreement with others sound good? Will you do what is required?

Being in agreement can be a difficult task if we only follow our human desires. If we are selfish, we likely will not agree with others on most decisions. Agreement does not always mean we get what we want. We may need to compromise.

Is there a way to not compromise but agree with others anyway? Sure! We come together in the name of Jesus, pray about the situation, discuss it, and agree because we are leaning on Him to provide the answer. As long as we are willing to follow Him, His leading, we will agree with Him and therefore agree with one another.

Jesus goes on to say that when we do that, we also get what we ask for. Why? Because what we ask for is according to His will. We have prayed, received His guidance, and we have chosen to follow Him. When we are following Him and His will, we ask for His will to be done. By asking for His will to be done, we get what we ask for.

What does this mean for us? It means we give up our selfishness. It means we put others ahead of ourselves. It means we take a step back to see the larger picture. It means we begin to see through Jesus’ eyes rather than our own.

I pray we all seek agreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray we seek God’s will in all situations. I pray each one of us submits to God, giving up our selfishness for His plan. Seek agreement. Seek God’s will. Spend time in prayer. Ask God for His will to be done. Gather as brothers and sisters in Jesus’ name.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Turn It Over

Are you seeking relief from an oppressive situation? Do you long to see the world from a broader perspective? Would you like to experience true freedom in your life? Have you turned to the One who can grant you all of these?

We may find ourselves in difficult, and perhaps oppressing, situations at various times in our lives. We may have been denied an opportunity due to our race, gender, cultural background, physical disability, mental disability, or simply because of how we dress.

Often, we want others to see us for who we really are rather than how they perceive us. We may want to see others as they really are rather than how they are typically perceived. Being able to see people in this way is both possible and a gift.

Being set free from a prison, whether one with bars or a situation in which we are being controlled by someone else is something many of us desire. We can experience true freedom despite our current situation.

Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2 in today’s passage. After quoting it in the synagogue in the presence of those worshiping, He tells them it is fulfilled at that moment. He continues to fulfill it today. However, it is only fulfilled for us if we are willing to accept it from Him. It is a gift from Jesus to be freed, to really see, and to be relieved of oppression.

You may say, “I want it, but it isn’t coming.” That is not true. It is coming and has come. When we are fully committed and rely solely on Jesus, these are gifts He delivers to us. Too often, we want these things, but also want to hold onto our perceived control. We must give up our perceived control and turn it all over to Jesus.

I pray we all desire these gifts from Jesus. I pray we decide to fully commit to Him. I pray each one of us give up control and turn it all over to Jesus, accepting these gifts from Him. Experience true freedom. Receive true sight. Be relieved of oppression. Accept Jesus’ gifts. Turn it all over to Him.

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Rest for the Weary

Have you grown weary? Are you looking for relief? Do you long for a time of peace rather than struggle? Is your desire to go away to a secret place to acquire the peace you desire? Have you looked to the One who can give you rest?

We live in a time of weariness. We have grown weary of the pandemic, political fighting, war between nations, and any number of reasons causing unrest. We long for rest. We long for peace. We long for simpler times.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “I just wish we could get back to normal,” I would be a very rich man. Yet, I don’t believe what we thought was normal just a few years ago will ever be again. For crying out loud, we don’t even have baseball now.

On the other hand, I’m not sure I want to go back to a point in my life when I was scraping change together to buy bread and milk to get by until payday. That normal can stay long gone for me. What I have learned is this, there is no normal, there is only today and possibly tomorrow. Now, don’t get me wrong. I plan for next week, next month, next year, and even for years down the road when I will retire (I hope). But I cannot change yesterday and, in many cases, I don’t want to go back to it either. I’m betting you don’t want to go back either, if you spend just a little time thinking about it.

So, where does that leave us? We still desire rest. Jesus tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest. It may not always be physical rest. However, it is rest for our souls, which is far more important. When our soul is at rest, the worries of the world roll off us like water off a duck’s back.

I want to encourage each one of you to go before God with a humble heart and ask Him for rest. Seek Him out, relieve yourself of your worldly worries, and accept His gift of rest. You will be amazed at how your view of the world will change.

I pray we all go to Jesus for rest. I pray we accept His offer to give us rest. I pray each one of us take on the lighter burden of Jesus and relieve ourselves of the burdens of this world. Give up being weary. Accept rest from Jesus. Find rest for your soul. Humble yourself before God. Learn from Jesus. Bear the lighter burden.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Understanding Context

Have you heard of taking things out of context? Do you understand what that means? Have you ever heard something said but only one small piece of it? Have you read only a portion of a statement and misinterpreted it?

Taking things out of context can be misleading and dangerous. We have seen or heard of people claiming their statements were taken out of context. There have been legal cases taken to court for slander because someone took another person’s statement out of context.

The same is true when we read the Bible. It is especially important when we are reading what Jesus said. Without careful study, we can misinterpret His meaning. Let’s take today’s passage as an example. If we read only these two verses, we might think that God will grant anything we desire as long as at least two of us agree on it. That would be misunderstanding what Jesus said.

By reading a handful of verses just about these, we see that Jesus is talking about sin committed by members of the church. Prayer and discernment are implied as part of the process. It includes hearing witnesses. Verse 17 states the offending person is to be treated as a “pagan or tax collector,” which has been misinterpreted on many occasions. It has been interpreted to mean excommunicating people from the church. But how are we to treat those not in the church? We are not to keep them out but draw them in. For the person who won’t listen to sound advice, we are to continue to try to draw them in, convince them of the truth.

As we read today’s passage within its context, we come to understand it requires two or more followers of Jesus to spend time in prayer asking to understand God’s will in the specific situation. When they agree, it is taken as God having revealed His will to them and it will be done by God.

I pray we all commit to understanding God’s Word in context. I pray we do not misinterpret what is being said. I pray each one of us spend time studying Scripture, praying, and listening for God’s understanding. Read God’s Word. Study Scripture. Look for the context. Ask God to reveal His message. Discuss Scripture with others.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”