November 2012
God brings us to a point in our life where we have to decide if we're going to allow Him to reign and have control over our whole life, or if we will go back to our comfortable ways, "back to Moab." We have to acknowledge that God has done great things in our life, and for us to be fruitful, we must rejoice in our Lord and Savior; to be obedient and follow after all of His ways. Luke 1:53 says, "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away." We have no idea what lies ahead but if we trust God, and His faithfulness, and do not turn back to the old ways, he will take us places and cause us to bear fruit we never thought possible. Are we ready to truly understand, follow, obey the Word? If we allow God - he will show us. What kind of song will you sing (O barren)? What kind of life will you lead?
In John 14:15, Jesus says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." These words of Jesus speak directly to the heart of what it means to be a disciple. The simple command is the key to our lives "bearing much fruit!"
John chapter 15, verse 2, tells us that God is the husbandman which means vine dresser or gardener. As a loving, vine dresser, he will come and either “take away” the dead branches or prune the fruitful ones. Which will you be?
In John 15, verse one, Jesus declares himself to be the true vine. This means He alone is the source of strength, grace, and divine nourishment that believers need in order for our lives to produce spiritual fruit. The question is, "Are you being fruitful?"
In the face of coming storms there is no time for casual christianity. God desires to take each of us into a deeper relationship with Him where His heart is formed in us. We bind the works of the enemy by simply walking in obedience to God's Word.
In the days of Micah and Isaiah, the people of God were losing sight of the church - where callousness replaced compassion. People had become so ‘self-focused,’ they were teaching compassion and love but were not living it. The passion for the poor and needy in heart, was lost. Church goers today, as in times of old, are more like consumers, walking into church asking, “What can I get from God?” But we were created by God for His purposes. Everything we do should be for and unto Him. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” When we ask, “How can I do more?” God gives His answer in Micah 6:8, “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” We are a reflection of His character, our voices, lives, are models of His mercy, love, justice, grace, and kindness.
