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Posts Tagged ‘good fruit’

Resist Evil

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , on March 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I used to think that “resisting evil” was a matter of putting up strong walls, keeping my sword sharpened, and looking into corners for ambushes. Evil was clever so I had to be even more clever and watchful. But here is a different way: do good.

Romans 12:17a, 21
Do not repay anyone evil for evil . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Note to myself: it’s not about “being” good (which is next to impossible anyway), but doing . . . overcoming . . . practicing good. And in this activity, evil gets the shaft. Novel idea eh?

How could I have missed this? It’s the same tactic when dealing with anxiety or fear: fill up with the positive thoughts along with love and the result is less room for the other crap.

We underestimate the power of good.

OK, so the next question is, “What is good?” In the same way that God’s laws are written on the heart of man [and woman, of course] (II Cor 3:2-3; Ps 40:7-8), so is the capacity for good. There is a choosing process, an agreement within, an acceptance of what we know to be good or right. Can we choose otherwise? Of course. That is, until evil takes over the heart, then more supernatural stuff has to happen to make the better choices.

But, just regular day to day folks can draw from this well of good, particularly if the Holy Spirit is present. This is the whole point. First we must choose to embrace the good and then we can act on it. And each time we choose good and then act, the power of good becomes stronger, more natural and more effective.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. . . .
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. [Psalm 34:8, 14]

Keep me mindful today of this truth, dear God. Keep me drawing from the well of good. Selah.

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What is the Fruit Anyway?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:5b, 8
“If a man [or woman] remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The whole issue of the fruit metaphor has plagued me over the years. I got hung up on it when a well meaning friend pronounced fruit as the number of converts I brought into the Body of Christ. For him, the process of “harvesting fruit” (probably based on Matthew 9:37) was a frontal assault: bring the person through the “sinner’s prayer” or share the “4 Spiritual Laws” or whatever it takes to close the deal and get the person to “yes.” It reminds me of sales talk: get to the “ask.” [“Ask” in this context meaning to pop the question: do you want to buy this product or do you want to support this cause with a donation?]

First of all, let me say, I am not against drawing others to Christ, far from it. But I’m thinking differently these days about the way. I’m thinking it’s the fruit that actually draws a new believer, not the other way around. The fruit, like fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) or the description by James [3:17] of being wise, peace-loving, considerate, merciful and so forth, these are transforming energies. These fruits come from the heart. These are fruits of love. These are fruits that draw others to us. And when they are drawn to us, they are drawn to Christ.

Ezekiel says [47:12] “…every month they will bear [fruit], because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” This is our future. As the water/spirit of God flows through us, we offer the fruit of love and healing for wounds, both emotional and physical. We are in the restoration business. As we give of ourselves, we are giving life-changing fruit.

Doesn’t it make so much sense that God uses the idea of “feast” … the abundance of fruit … available to us all. And how foolish of us to miss such a feast.

Lord, mark the time for me today. Give me awareness that I might recognize the hunger of others. I don’t want to just “invite” them to the feast, I want to give them a taste of Christ’s fruit. Keep my heart tender, receptive and transparent.

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Stones into Bread

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Matthew 4:3
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

It wasn’t that Jesus couldn’t turn the stones into bread. He could have done that at any point in his days of fasting and praying. But that was not the point. He was called to fast until he was released from it.

I think this happens all the time. There are things that are not available to us, but not because we are unable to have them. God creates an environment for us that is part of our evolving story.

If I look at my life, there are things I would have changed along the way if I could. For instance, I would have liked to have biological children but then, I would have missed having my wonderful adopted children. While pursuing pregnancy, there were many more steps I could have taken to push the point: more tests, more invasive measures, etc. Probably, I could have turned those stones into bread. But even then, I sensed a different destiny, a purpose if you will, for those circumstances.

Barrenness is part of my story so that God could produce a different kind of fruit. And as a result, not only do I have three wonderful kids, but I also have a sensitivity to the plight of orphans in a way that I would have never had before. I’m glad I trusted the Lord. I pray I can be as sensitive to His Will in my current situation.

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Seed of Heaven

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , on April 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Matthew 13:31b-32
…”The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

The mustard seed metaphor for the kingdom of heaven is really amazing. First of all, if we remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is synonymous with the Kingdom of God … which is within, then the mustard seed of heaven is within and actually has an opportunity to grow. So, some people have a very small kingdom within and some have a very big one…. the nurtured seed that has become a tree.

This is the whole point of following Christ… to nurture and grow the kingdom of heaven. The seed is planted when we accept Christ. If we follow all the growing metaphors that Jesus used and were recorded in the New Testament, there are lots of lessons on how to grow that seed.

I ask the Lord to give me courage to see the true size of my tree. I know I’ve sprouted, but is it still a seedling after all these years? Is it still struggling to grow because of the quality of the dirt? Is it bearing fruit?

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Raising the Dead

Posted in Sermon Echoes, Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , on April 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Yesterday, Pastor Craig gave a powerful message for Easter calling us to strength, calling us to engage that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead to raise us from our own crucifixions. When we face our most difficult trials, we must look to the One who can teach us, who can show us, who can uphold us from within.

Like all of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), strength is like them and comes from within; it, too, is an attribute of the Kingdom of God within us (Luke 17:20-21).

There is a tension between our own way and the way of Jesus. There is a tension between our own ways and the ways of the kingdom of God. We must surrender to this Way daily (… your Kingdom come, Your will be done in Earth as it is in heaven…). Note, I have changed “on earth” to “in earth” because I also think of Earth as my body… the flesh, the three-dimensional self and then the three-dimensional world/environment around me. “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

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Fallow Ground

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , on February 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Matthew 13: 3-9
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Despite all that I have done this past year, two bible studies, regular devotions, bible reading, etc., I still come to the Lord today with a heart that feels fallow. I think so much of what I have learned and heard has washed away like water that cannot be absorbed in a hard pan of soil. We are known by our fruit… I know that. So, where is the fruit. (Reminds me of that old fast food commercial where the little old lady would look straight at the camera and say, “Where’s the beef?”) I feel the same way. Where’s the fruit?

Of course, I am also an impatient cuss! Perhaps the soil is not fallow… perhaps the seeds have been planted and are merely waiting for the right moment to sprout. Open my ears this day Lord that I might hear you. Water the garden of my heart.

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On Godliness 3

Posted in Fifty days with Jesus, tagged , , , , , , , on November 12, 2008| Leave a Comment »

From the pastor’s blog today, we are encouraged to beware of false prophets. This is quite the challenge in today’s world. These televangelists with their jets and fancy homes… how can we really know? We are told to “know them by their fruits” … but in a modern world, the fruits can be manufactured to look righteous. It’s frightening really.

I am reminded of another scripture, Mark 9:33-39, when the disciples were concerned about a man “driving out demons” in Jesus’ name. They had commanded the man to stop since he was not one of them. But, in the end, Jesus tolerated this abuse of his name and his power for the good it was doing. Another scripture, Matthew 13:24-29, the parable of the weeds seems appropriate here, for the weeds grew with the wheat and were not pulled out while still growing. Instead, the master said to wait until the harvest and then they would be collected and burned separately.

I used to worry and struggle a great deal with differentiating who is righteous and who is not… who is “godly” and who is not. In some cases, I thought their fruits were also good, so who could tell?

In the end, I had to give the ultimate discernment back to the Lord. All I can do is prayerfully place this person and my relationship to him or her on the altar of the Lord. If I am duped by a false prophet, then I trust God will redeem the loss. If God reveals the duplicity ahead of time, then I pray for His power to simply walk away. Sometimes, I have seen my interest in a particular teaching or person or style of worship simply falls away and as I look back on these times, I know it was the Lord protecting me from false teachings and people. Thanks be to God.

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