I am so grateful that the vast majority of matters involving faithful living are not complicated.
With very few exceptions, how we demonstrate our faith is more often about “Will I do what’s right?” than it is about “What is the right thing to do?”
We’ve all stumbled on many occasions in how we’ve lived as Christians, but it rarely has been from a lack of intelligence or lack of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
Translated, that meant that we just weren’t trying hard enough to live in the right way at the moment of our failure.
There is a better way, of course, and as we integrate this better way into our lives, we’ll stumble less and serve God more.
It’s very simple, actually.
That’s the design of God for His Word given to imperfect people who need a simple, perfect pathway to pleasing the Lord and protecting themselves.
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit…. Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in them, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in them.” (Matthew 12:33, 35)
Listen, if I want to have a life with fruit that is always good and is recognized as such by others, then I am to always be making the tree good.
I need to store up good words and good deeds from God and other believers and share an overflow through my life as often as I have opportunity.
I cannot share good from within me if I do not make sure that only good is flowing into me.
That’s why it is SO important that my roots of faith are sunk deep into an abundant flow of Living Water, that my limbs are protected from various forms of sinful pestilence and that I willingly accept the pruning of the Master Gardener that will prepare me for bearing more fruit and fewer purposeless leaves.
The more that I seek and accept the process of becoming a good tree, the more fruit I’ll bear for the Master.
That’s why you and I gain when we read the Bible more.
When we pray more.
When we learn more of faith from those who know more. On Sunday in worship and Sunday School. At your small group Bible study. From one-on-one studies with other believers. From books, radio or music.
Prune more those parts of life that haven’t borne fruit.
Good spiritual fruit is the result of these good decisions.
Let’s both commit to doing the right we know so that we always show the right answer to the question, “Will I do the right thing?”
Your corner of the world needs more good fruit.
As always, I love you
Martin
