Day 3
Matthew 3
- John preached in the desert and people came to him – if we have the words of God, he will provide the people… we don’t need to make it trendy.
- There is wheat and chaff… the chaff will be burned in the fire, only the wheat will make it through.
It seems that there is a separation of those who are true and those who are fake. We are supposed to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. So if we don’t have fruit, it seems that scripture says that we will get cut down and thrown into the fire.
· I need to produce fruit. What fruit do I produce? I work with the students at church… but what fruit do I really see out of that? Not much. I need to love on my guys more.
· So what fruit do I have? I have a strong marriage… and that’s kinda fruit, but not really the fruit of repentance. I have the fact that I am seeking holiness and how to live out my faith… and I have the fact that I am living a good life… but it feels like for me, fruit is a good quiet time. Fruit is drawing closer to God. I feel close mostly, but I don’t feel like I’m really getting closer much. I feel like I’m moving, but just sideways. It’s like I’m circling and trying to figure out the best approach. I have all these things brewing in me, but they just aren’t getting out yet… but that still doesn’t mean that I’m really getting more fruit.
· So what is my fruit? If I can do this study faithfully, I think that would be fruit. I think that if I can start memorizing scripture, that is fruit. If I am more faithful about praying than that is fruit.
· I need fruit. I want to be saved. I don’t want to assume that because I am in seminary and go to church that I am saved. God can raise up children for Abe from rocks, so my religiosity doesn’t earn me passage into heaven.
- Prayer
· God help me to produce fruit. I want to show my salvation by my good works. I want to show evidence of what is already within me by doing what you ask of me. Show me the areas of my life that are lethargic and how to revitalize them. Show me the areas of my life that are productive and how to bring you more honor and glory through those. God, please cause me to produce fruit. (Matthew 3)
1 comment:
You're starting from the wrong premise again. Don't forget about the branch that produces fruit... I talked about it a while back. "He who abides in Me and I in Him will bear much fruit for apart from Me you can do nothing."
You don't make the fruit, God does.
What is fruit, you ask? I think far too many people gloss over this verse without thinking about it: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control." These are not "fruits of Spart's good spiritual life." These aren't "the fruit that you have to create or you don't get into Heaven." The are the fruits OF THE SPIRIT. The Spirit of God which indwells you gives you these fruit. The regeneration that God imparted to your dead spirit after He saved you made you capable of using this fruit. But God makes it, not you.
"...not of yourselves lest any man should boast."
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