All tagged Fruit
We are filled in our faith with the joy of God, which is a different Greek word (Chara), with a different meaning than happiness (Makarios). Joy is an internal feeling, while happiness is derived from external events acting on our lives. Joy is deep seated, while happiness is superficial. Seeking the joy of God means seeking our transformation in Christ, and receiving God’s joy as a result.
As believers in Jesus Christ are we strangers to the world? Do we separate ourselves in our faith and behavior to the point where those who once called us friend can no longer recognize us? Our faith sets us apart from the sin that is in the earth, and although it pursues us like wolves; we are strangers to its pack. Jesus was like a foreigner to His own, just as we should be to ours.
How is your faith today? Does it remain stored away in a seed sack; a tiny seed in your heart awaiting its season in a barn, or does it flourish where you have planted and tended it? Are you satisfied with the little, or are you led by the Spirit to grow and produce much fruit? Jesus tells us to have faith in God, but that doesn’t mean that our faith is complete when first received, or is dormant and unable to grow like a seed which hasn’t been sown.
How great is your dependence on Jesus Christ? Is He the source of everything in our life; spiritual and physical sustenance, a firm foundation amidst the storms, the basis of emotional and mental well being, and our guide to eternity with God? We should look to God for all things, and to Jesus, His Son and our intercessor, to bring us, and each of our prayers, before the Father. Do we do that in every aspect of our lives, or do we envision ourselves as being like a self-sufficient plant that is growing beside Him?
Where do you spend your time each day? Do you waste it on frivolous pursuits, or in prayer? Do you read magazines about worldly subjects, or the Bible and other spiritually uplifting material? Do you seek out those places God wills you to visit, or do you wile away your time in ungodly places for no good purpose? How we apportion our time, the activities we pursue, and places we frequent, determines how our faith will grow, and the fruit it will bear. Do we waste our treasure of time, or spend it wisely?