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It’s on my heart to share what I’ve read and heard lately on bearing good fruit. First, my family’s pastor gave a sermon, and he mentioned Christians needing good fruit in their lives. He said that we can know the “root of the fruit.” Second, we decided to listen to an online sermon on bearing good fruit. We found Brandon Nealy who said that Christians should not be seeking maximum comfort, but maximum fruit. Specifically, he declared that Christians should be advancing God’s Kingdom. He referred to Galatians 5:22-23 that says, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Third, I was searching for some Scripture, but my eyes fell on John 15 instead. John 15:1-5 says, “15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Finally, I was shopping in a clothing store, and was surprised to see actual fruit, mulberries (organic soft dried white)! The description on the bag called the mulberries a “super food” on the front of the bag. On the back of the bag, they said, “Today, they are still grown on the Mediterranean fields that grew them in ancient times in modern day Turkey.” Are you ready to get chills? According to https://biblicaltourguide.com/missionaryjourneysofstpaul.html, “During one of his missionary journeys St. Paul visited Ephesus in Turkey. He stays in the city about three years (Acts 19:1-20).” Why is this significant? Paul was the one who wrote Galatians where we learn about the “fruit of the Spirit!”
Acts 16:22-40, Ephesians 5:19, Philippians 4:9
Do you like to sing? I love to sing! What about Paul? Did he sing? If people think about Paul, they probably remember his bold delivery of the Gospel, or that he took a lot of physical hits, but yes, he sang.
Acts 16:22-25 says, “22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.“
Ephesians 5:19 says, “19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,”
Philippians 4:9 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
If we could invite Paul to a Thanksgiving feast, I think he’d be singing to God. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with plenty of singing! 🙂
My daughter’s chiropractor told her he was exposed to (and later got) COVID, and was wearing a mask. I said I was sorry to hear he had to deal with that. He said the equivalent of, “It comes with the job.”
On another day, a water meter man came to replace our water meter. While he worked, our neighbor’s dog barked, and our dog barked a lot, and I apologized. He smiled, and said, “It comes with the job.”
In 2 Corinthians 11:25-27, here’s what Paul said about being a missionary:
“25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,[a] in cold and exposure.”
If we could go back in time, we could say to Paul that we’re sorry to hear he had to deal with so much suffering. Like the chiropractor, and the water meter man, I think Paul would say, “It comes with the job.”
2 Timothy 1:10, Philippians 1:21
Popcorn in hand, my daughter, Emily, and I opened the movie theater door with a Puss In Boots ad. In the dim light, and flickering trailers, we distributed napkins, and the buttered popcorn buckets to the guys, John and Ethan. We kicked out the recliners with a push of a button, and settled in to watch the movie.
If you’ve seen, Puss in Boots, you know the plot is about death. The main character becomes scared to death of death. Regarding this, if you haven’t seen the movie, a little dog, Perrito, in a sweet moment, helps Puss in Boots fight his fear.
After the movie, we talked about how Puss in Boots was seeing death as something terrible. As Christians, we know that Jesus conquered death. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:10, “10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” In addition, Paul stated in Philippians 1:21, “21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
In the past, Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist, said, “I said to the Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to you, and I know you will see me through”. In the recent past (passed 10/4/22), Loretta Lynn, a singer, said on a 4/17 Instagram post, “My faith means a lot to me…Jesus is my friend…I keep holding His hand.”
It’s so important to embrace our faith! In 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul wrote, “19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.”
2 Timothy 1:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16
Last week, my husband alerted me to a Gallup poll story entitled, “Fewer in U.S. Now See Bible as Literal Word of God”. They didn’t ask us. I don’t know who they polled. Anyway, my answer to those that don’t see the Holy Bible as divine is 2 Timothy 3:16. In 2 Timothy 3:16, the Apostle Paul said, “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Happy early 4th of July! I was doing some grocery shopping for the 4th yesterday, and saw a boy hugging a bag of Cheez-It Snap’d crackers. He said to the woman next to him, “We’ve gotta get home soon.”
In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul said, “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”
That hungry boy was ready for solid food, and ready to go home. All of us in Christ should be hungry too, ready for the solid spiritual food that Paul spoke of, and ready when Jesus brings us home.
I was driving north on a narrow road, and a funeral procession was heading south on the same narrow road. With the gap between us closing quickly, I tried to remember how best to show repect. I decided to turn into a nearby park parking lot so they could drive with plenty of room. From my out of the way view, I saw about 20 cars in that funeral procession. I was sad for the people that followed the vehicle containing the shell of the one they must have known and loved.
One person’s life can affect others. The people in those vehicles didn’t know I had compassion for them. Maybe another driver that was unexpectedly confronted with that funeral procession, and faced with the evidence of death, chose to examine their life. Maybe that driver started to think about how to live a Christian life.
Life can get sad, and we can cry in a crisis, but if we’re actively living for Jesus every day He gives us, then when our time comes, Jesus can wipe any tears away, and welcome us into our beautiful heavenly home. Paul said it best in Philippians 1:21: 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Many mornings I have a Christian song in my head. One Wednesday morning came with a wind chill warning and cancellations. The song, “Mercy Tree,” played in my mind. Outside, despite that intense wind chill, came the song of a Cardinal. He was singing what sounded like praise to God during a difficult time.
Paul spoke about having joy in trial. Paul said in Romans 5:3, “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”
Big Bible Fan 