The Root and the Fruit - Matthew 12:33

'...A tree is known by its fruit.' Matthew 12:33

This touched my heart I hope it does yours....In a letter to George Whitefield, a leader of the Great Awakening, Benjamin Franklin wrote: 'I can only show my gratitude for those mercies from God, by a readiness to help His other children and my brethren. For I do not think that thanks and compliments, though repeated weekly, can discharge our real obligations to each other, and much less those to our Creator. You will see in this, my notion of good works, that I am far from expecting to merit Heaven by them. By Heaven we understand a state of happiness, infinite in degree and eternal in duration. I can do nothing to deserve such rewards... The faith you mention certainly has its use in the world. I do not desire to see it diminished, nor would I endeavour to lessen it in any man. But I wish it were more productive of good works than I have generally seen it; I mean real good works; works of kindness, charity, mercy and public spirit; not holiday-keeping, sermon-reading or hearing; performing church ceremonies, or making long prayers filled with flatteries and compliments...The worship of God is a duty; the hearing and reading of sermons may be useful; but if men rest in hearing and praying, as too many do, it is as if a tree should value itself for being watered and putting forth leaves, though it never produce any fruit.'

Pretty pointed isn't it. In aiming to declare that salvation is by grace and not works, never forget that saving faith always produces good works! Faith is the root of salvation. But deeds of generosity and kindness are the fruit of salvation - and 'a tree is known by its fruit.'

You are loved!

One of the things I've Learned is to Wait on God, because he Generally isn't Done With the Job When I think He is...

One of the things I've Learned is to Wait on God, because he Generally isn't Done With the Job When I think He is...

'...After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.' Hebrews 6:15 NIV

When you're praying for something, the last thing you want to hear God say is 'Wait!' But sometimes He does. And in order to walk with Him you must learn to be patient, because He works according to His schedule and not yours. I know that is hard sometimes to do; but all your praying and pleading won't accelerate the process, it'll just frustrate you.

God isn't here to indulge your every want and whim; learning to wait on God will be like going through spiritual rehab. When Abraham was 75, God promised to make him '...a father of many nations.' (Genesis 17:4 NKJV) But he had to wait over 24 years before he 'received what was promised'.

Waiting isn't simply something you do in order to get what you want; waiting produces patience, maturity, understanding and character. What God accomplishes in you while you're waiting is often more important than the thing you're waiting for. 'You need to persevere, so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.' (Hebrews 10:36 NIV)

Now, waiting isn't an excuse for dodging reality, shirking your responsibility, or not doing the right thing. For example, if you're up to your eyeballs in debt due to overspending, don't sit around waiting for God to send you a big check. Learn to discipline yourself and adopt sound financial principles like tithing, budgeting and doing without things until you can pay for them. Above all, waiting means making a decision to trust and obey God when things aren't going the way you planned. It's saying, 'Lord, I'm counting on You and I don't have a backup plan.'

You are Loved!

Lessons from the Prodigal Son (3) - Luke 15:17

'When he finally came to his senses...' Luke 15:17 NLT

Love this scripture..."He finally came to his senses" The Prodigal Son's journey to ruin didn't happen overnight. It was a slow, steady build-up, like cholesterol in your arteries. He took his father's blessings for granted and stopped being grateful. How many times do we do the same thing?

No wonder David wrote what he did, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities... heals all your diseases... redeems your life from destruction... crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies... who satisfies your mouth with good things...' (Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV) The Prodigal Son was from one of the best families in town, yet he ended up penniless, friendless, eating with pigs, trying to satisfy a legitimate hunger in an illegitimate way.

Why do we get involved in extramarital affairs, go on drinking and drug binges, or work ourselves to death and sacrifice our families in the process? Because inside each of us is an emptiness that nothing and no one but God can fill. Jesus said, 'When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself..."I will go home to my father and say, 'Father, I have sinned'"...' (Luke 15:17-18 NLT) If you let Him, God will stop you in the nick of time. He will remind you of who you are and where you belong. You will start seeing the mud you're wallowing in, the false friends, the empty achievements, the people around you who are no happier than you. If that's where you are right now, come home. Your Father is waiting to wipe your slate clean. He still loves you. Tell the devil, 'I've changed my mind. I'm going home.'

You are Loved!

Lessons from the Prodigal Son (2) - Luke 15:13

'...[He] wasted his substance...' Luke 15:13 KJV

Ever heard someone say I want it all? The Prodigal Son was no different when he approached his father and said, 'I want it all, now!' To know whether something is good for you or not, you need to understand where the desire for it came from.

For example: Loving parents don't give their children things because they cry for them; they reward them for acting responsibly. They know what's age-appropriate.

We all know good, well-intentioned people whose talents elevated them. Yet they crashed and burned because of some immature, undisciplined area in their life. Please listen to your heavenly Father and don't leave home until He says you're ready! The Prodigal 'wasted his substance with riotous living.'

Note the word 'substance'. Satan is after more than your material possessions: he's after your character, your self-esteem, your staying power, and your life's purpose. Like the Prodigal Son, you can reach a place where you lose your very desire for life itself. It's possible to bask in the accolades of others and think you're going places in life, yet be only a few steps from the pig sty. The Bible says, '...He...joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.' (Luke 15:15 KJV) Note the word 'joined'. To gauge where you are spiritually, look at who you're 'joined' to. The company you keep is like a compass that points you in the direction you're headed. And that compass doesn't lie. But there's hope. When the Prodigal Son returned home, his father was waiting for him with open arms. And your heavenly Father is waiting for you too, so come while you still can.

You are Loved!

Lessons from the Prodigal Son (1) - Luke 15:12 NLT

Lessons from the Prodigal Son (1)

'...I want my share...now.' Luke 15:12 NLT

If you have had kids or are having them, there always seems to be a prodigal in the mix; one who always steps over the line. As we look at the Prodigal son for the next day or two we see "The Prodigal Son" made two mistakes:

 

(1) he rejected his father's authority. The first step that gets you into trouble is the one that takes you away from God. Like the Prodigal Son, you leave home saying, 'Give me.' And if you're fortunate enough to survive your own best thinking, you come back home saying, 'Forgive me.' God loves you, never forget that. Everything you need, He has already provided! It's a promise and God never goes back on His word.

 

(2) he left his father's house. The devil will do whatever it takes to get you out from under God's influence and protection. He'll put a restless spirit in you so that nothing makes you happy. Two areas he will work the hardest to generate discontent in are: (a) your marriage. That's why you constantly need to work on it. The reason there are weeds in your garden instead of roses is because you don't spend enough time working there. Your marriage isn't just a covenant before God, it's a shelter for your passions and dysfunctions. Furthermore, that 'other person', who looks so attractive to you, has baggage, too. And when they move in, they'll bring it with them! (b) your church. Who feeds you spiritually? Who monitors your growth in God? Would you let your children stay home from school because they don't like the teacher or don't want to learn? Come on, be sensible! God says His Word is like '...a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.' (Jeremiah 23:29 NKJV) When the hammer of God's Word falls in church next Sunday morning - you need to be under it. You should say, 'I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord."' (Psalm 122:1 NKJV)

 

You are Loved!

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others - 2 Corinthians 10:12

'They...compare themselves with themselves.' 2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV

One definition of success is: 'Gaining wealth and fame.' But how much wealth do you need to be successful? How much fame? Should you pick an arbitrary target? Should you compare yourself to others? What if you have decided to devote yourself to raising children of character, or serving your church and your community? Does that mean you are less successful?

 Success is doing the best you can, with what you have, wherever you are in life. The Bible warns, 'When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.'

When you play the comparison game you are like the two cows that saw the milk man go by with a sign, 'Pasteurised, homogenised, Vitamin A added.' One cow said to the other, 'Makes you feel sort of inadequate, doesn't it?'

God will help you to be all that you can be, but He will never help you to be someone else. When you focus your attention on who you aren't, by comparing yourself with someone else, you lose sight of who you need to become. Ever heard of the twenty/forty/sixty rule? When you're twenty, you worry about what everybody's thinking about you. When you're forty, you realize it doesn't really matter what they think about you. When you're sixty, it dawns on you most of them weren't thinking about you at all! Paul's life changed dramatically with one question: 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' (Acts 9:6 NKJV) Only when you ask that question, will you discover who you and what God's called you to be.

You are loved!

Are These words in Your Vocabulary? Decision, Discipline and Determination - James 4:17 NLT

'It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.' James 4:17 NLT

I love this from Brian Tracy: 'There are so many good things you can do, that your ability to decide may be the critical determinant of what you accomplish. If you're like most people, you're overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time. Mark Twain once joked that if first thing every morning you eat a frog, you'll go through the rest of the day knowing that's the worst that can happen! Your 'frog' is the most important task...the one you're likely to procrastinate on...the one that can have the greatest positive impact...Treat it as a personal challenge...resist the temptation to start with the easier task. If you 'eat' it first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest. Success is determined by the habits you develop. Setting priorities, overcoming procrastination and getting on with the most important task is a mental and physical skill, learnable through practice and repetition until it becomes a permanent part of your behavior. Once it becomes a habit, it's automatic and easy to do. When you complete a task of any size or importance, you get a surge of energy. It triggers the release of endorphins that give you a natural high. The rush that follows makes you feel more positive, personable, creative and confident.'

What you put off until tomorrow, you'll put off again tomorrow. Plus, it's 'sin to know what you ought to do and...not do it.' Success requires decision, discipline and detemination. Make the decision, discipline yourself until it becomes automatic and stay determined until it becomes part of who you are.

You are Loved!