John 12 We Must Die To Self

Producing Good Fruit

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.                                                                                          (John 15:1-8 KJV)

Being fruitful; now there is a novel concept! When a tree bears fruit who gets to enjoy the fruit? It is not the tree. It is you and me.

So what is the purpose for us to bear fruit? Is it not, just as the tree, for others? 

Jesus expects us to bear fruit as is heard in these scripture verses from the Gospel of John. But, just as the branch on a tree we cannot bear fruit without the tree. The tree brings nourishment from it's roots to the branches so that from the branches fruit may be produced and harvested. As branches of the tree of life, who is Jesus the Christ, we cannot produce fruit unless we are connected to him. We must abide in Christ in order to bring good fruit for the nourishment and well-being of others.

May you abide in Christ and he in you that you might bear much fruit and glorify our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Good Soil + Good Seed = Good Fruit

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

                                                                        (Matt 13:3-9 KJV)

So many times I have been told by people that they just do not understand the scriptures when they are read to them during worship or even when they read them themselves. They do claim to understand what the preacher says in his or her sermons; but, not the word of God. At times like that I cannot help but wonder what the preacher is saying. Is the preacher really proclaiming the word of God or speaking to please the itching ears? Could it possibly be that the itching ears will hear only what they want to hear?

Good soil is soil that will receive a good seed helping the good seed to be fruitful.  The good soil is our hearts and minds. The good seed is the word of God. When the word of God is planted in an open heart and mind; the word which is planted will bring forth much fruit for the Kingdom of God. 

Alas, when the word of God is planted in a stony heart or mind, it just may catch hold for awhile but will soon wither away bearing no fruit for the Kingdom of God.

May God our Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit open that hearts, minds, eyes and ears of us all that we might have a greater understanding of all that our Lord Jesus, who is the Word, loves us and has done for us so that we in turn might glorify His Holy Name in all that we say and think and do. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Season Of Spring

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." (Gen 8:22 KJV)

I have been looking forward to seeing the Magnolia trees in bloom at my most recent home this spring. Finally, one blossom has appeared! 

Every season has its own beauty. Every season has its own purpose. Depending upon where we live the seasons may appear in different forms; but, in all places there are seasons that regulate our comings and goings; that regulate what we do and how we live.

After Noah and his family got off the boat that they'd been floating around in for a season, God had promised that he would never destroy the earth by a flood like that again. He promised that as long as the earth exists there will always be seasons. There would be seasons to plant as well as to to harvest. 

Spring is upon us. For some that still means a little bit of snow and seeds will have to be started indoors. For others that means it is time to get those seeds and plants into the ground so that what we do today will produce a harvest in its own time.

What we do today will help determine how fruitful we are in the future. Do not let the season of preparedness pass you by. There is a season for everything. Spring is not the season for idleness.

Let us rejoice in the beauty of the season; the opportunities to see new growth in both creation and in our own lives. 

The world most likely will not end tomorrow or even the next day. But, it will come to an end for each of us one day. Let us not waste the days we have; but, enjoy life. Live life, taking hold of every opportunity to be fruitful and to glorify our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Get Up and Do Something!

"Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."                                                     (James 1:12 NRSV)

Temptations occur on a daily basis. The first thing that came to mind when I woke up this morning was: "Do I have to do anything today?" The temptation to do nothing, absolutely nothing, loomed large. 

The truth is that my body has been hurting all over for a couple of days and I would just like to give in to the temptation to do absolutely nothing today. The other truth is that I know, from experience, that if I do absolutely nothing today, I will hurt even worse tomorrow. 

God has called each of us to live life, according to his will. His will does not include doing nothing ever. Those who love him know that He calls us to love and serve Him and we do that by loving and serving the people around us and even beyond our personal borders. 

There are challenges in life. There are also many temptations to not accept those challenges. Time to get up, get out there, and produce the fruit that God has empowered us to produce. Be productive, live in, and share the light of Jesus the Christ in all that you say and think and do!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Commit Your Work To The Lord

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Psalm 16:3

I have always attempted to teach young people; whether they were my own or others whom I was responsible for teaching, to enjoy the work that they do. Work is inevitable. We must work to eat, to have shelter, to have warm clothing, and if you really must want a lot of nice things; you must really put a lot of effort into earning that "stuff." We spend a huge portion of our lives working so we may as well enjoy the work that we do. Making a game of doing house or yard chores and doing it together helps it to me more fun. Getting along with co-workers and your supervisors helps to keep stress out of the position you hold.

As young people begin planning for what kind of life-long career they would like to pursue, they ought to consider what it is that they will actually enjoy doing. Do you enjoy helping people? How about computers or working with animals? There are so many career choices in the world today, it is impossible to comprehend them all. Whatever it is you love to do; whatever talents that God has gifted you with; follow that path.

God has a plan for you. He calls you to serve him according to the gifts He gifts you. Whether it is a talent and desire to be a doctor or a hostess; God provides the opportunities to be trained in the way He would have you go. And... don't forget to commit your work to the Lord. Do all things well that they might glorify your Father in heaven. And... quit complaining! Learn to enjoy the work that the Lord has provided for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Producing Fruit

"We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 1:2 NIV

We are not saved by our works. We are saved by God's grace through faith in the one who loved us so much that he was willing to die that we might live with and in him. That faith; our love for the one who loves us so unconditionally, inspires us to action. We want to share his love with others. We desire to share the hope of the promised kingdom with others.

All of the good works in the world will never save us; but, that will not keep us from doing good to one another. It is because we are saved; because we who do not deserve this free gift of salvation that we respond with fruitful and loving labor that God may be glorified in all that we say and do.

May God bless all that we say and do that we might produce fruit for the Kingdom and for the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J