Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Fruit? What Fruit? With a Hook?

Fruit? What Fruit? With a Hook?
by David Brenneman 

“Now this is the parable: the seed is the word of God.  And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they fall away. And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with perseverance." Luke 8:11-15 NASB 

Are the things of God important to you?
Is what's important to Jesus important to you?

Is your life being well lived? Would it be considered by God a life well spent?

Would a review of your life in this moment in which you are living be seen as you being a devoted follower of Christ Jesus or would those looking into your life see a person living for themselves?

This section "And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity." stood out to me this morning.  

Worries, riches, and the pleasures of this life.  These 3 have something in common. They all have an ingredient that draws the mind away from God and to whatever is glittering and shiny.  As I heard in a excerpt from a television show as to why it ought to be parents teaching and showing their children right from wrong...is that because children go after any shiny thing that catches their eye.  Not realizing that most shiny things have a hook in them.

Fruit is very appealing. Or at least it's supposed to be.  Dangerous fruits exist.  Those that indeed have a hook in them that bring dangerous consequences if ingested.

This world is going to be filled with glittery flashy shiny things.  Things that draw us away from the Word of God and the powerful life of one lived in Christ Jesus. 

Satan's behind all that shiny, glittery, flashy stuff because he wants nobody to find salvation in Christ Jesus. He wants to shipwreck those who have. He wants to hinder all who are living strong lives in Christ.   

Worldly success and the lavished accolades that go with it puff people up. They cause pride to swell and the seeds of God's Word to dry up. 

As Christians we will face things that are designed to shipwreck our faith.  Designed to draw us away from what the Spirit set us in the body of Christ to be doing.  

We must take care to protect what we've been given in Christ.  Making sure that what's important to Jesus is important to us. 

We must be remembering that He is the vine, we are the branches. 

Jesus spoke of that as well.  Branches that aren't bearing fruit are trimmed off.

In the body, cells that aren't contributing to the body are usually called infections or cancers. 

Worries, riches and pleasures of this life. 

When we get all that we think we want we often forget about living for Jesus. When we are consumed with worry we forget about living for Jesus.  

Again, what would characterize your life?
If people who've been tasked with describing you were to do so, what would be said?

We have but one life to live. One.
When we stand before Jesus, and our lives are seen by Him and us for their eternal value in Christ, would there be anything worth the price He paid?

Hope still exists while a breath can still be drawn.  

Turning towards Jesus with a whole heart and not a partial commitment will change your life in such ways that you cannot fathom. 

We who are in Christ are to be reflecting the light of Jesus Christ to this world. 

We are known by our fruits. 

Be it good fruit or bad...

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