John 15:5 – “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Are you fruity? If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? We are called by God to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are set apart, sanctified to God. Sanctified means dedicated for a holy purpose. As Christians, we are to be dedicated to God. Set apart from all other people—peculiarly different. The difference between Christians and non-Christians should be obvious. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of God lives inside us and changes us.
The more we realize the price Christ paid to redeem us, the more it will profoundly affect who we are. It affects the way we live. It affects the way we think. It affects the things we do. It even affects the things we desire. Soon it is obvious we are indeed different from those around us who do not have faith, because faith in God is a powerful and life changing force.
Think of two people, wandering in the desert, each holding a glass of water. They are both thirsty but won’t drink the water because they think it’s actually poison. Suddenly, God opens the heavens and tells them both, “Drink. This is not poison. It is water. It will save you.” One believes God and the other does not. The one who believes will drink and be satisfied. The one who does not believe will remain thirsty. So you see, true faith leads to action.
It is the same with us, except our faith is not in water. Our faith is in the living Son of God! And more than that, we believe He lived a perfect life, suffered and died in our place, was buried in the earth for three days, rose again to live forever, and that we will join Him! How can that not affect us? How can that not change our lives? It most definitely will, unless we don’t really believe.
Galatians 5:22-23a says, “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” As we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives and change us, we begin to exhibit these kinds of spiritual fruit more and more.
And that brings me back to the original question of this article; are you fruity? Do you really believe what you profess? How has your faith changed you? Are you now different from the way you were when you first believed? Does your faith cause you to bear fruit? I hope so, because true faith changes us from our old way of being into the fruity new creations God wants us to be. Of course, I’m no expert and certainly don’t claim to know everything, but that’s the truth as far as I can tell…
God loves you and so do I!
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Wednesday, August 1, 2018
R U Fruity - The Truth As Far As I Can Tell...
Labels:
Bearing Good Fruit,
Being Fruitful,
Galatians 5:22-23,
John 15:5,
Spiritual Fruit,
The Truth As Far As I Can Tell...
I'm a pastor, dad, husband, and child of God. I'm broken, but blessed. The cracks are where the Light shines through.
My mission is to help people grow closer to God with every breath and step I take. I gave my life to Christ at an early age and have grown closer through the years, spurred on by the study of the Bible, my church family, and the Chrysalis and Walk to Emmaus Communities. I accepted the call to full -time ministry as a pastor in 1999 and have served 4 different churches in Georgia. Music, preaching, and teaching are the heart of my ministry.
Outside of the pulpit, I enjoy many hobbies that help me blow off steam. These include martial arts, woodworking, blacksmithing, gardening, cooking, and being creative. I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. My philosophy is use what you have, do it yourself if you can, learn something in the process, and have lots of fun. This blog is a place to share it all with you.
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