2022-01-07
James 3:2 NCV
When it comes to our words, here are three rules:
1) Don’t speak too quickly. ‘We all make many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control their entire selves, too’ (v.2 NCV). We can never know all the sensitivities a person has, so we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to direct our speech in a way that doesn’t tap into their pain or other negative experiences. Everyone has a different sensitivity level, depending on their past experiences, so we should try to give others the benefit of the doubt when they say something that could be misinterpreted. It may be that they had no intention to hurt, and didn’t realise the effect of their words. (But if they’re being deliberately offensive or hurtful, this needs to be dealt with.)
2) Don’t respond too quickly. ‘To answer before listening – that is folly and shame’ (Proverbs 18:13 NIV). Before we speak, we should listen carefully and make sure we understand what’s really being said. And if we don’t, we should say so. A need to ‘look good’ can cause us to lose respect if we’re afraid of admitting we don’t know or don’t understand something.
3) Don’t commit too quickly. Solomon wrote, ‘Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God’ (Ecclesiastes 5:2 NKJV). Then he went on to explain how we shouldn’t try to drop out of a commitment by saying we made a mistake. When we break a promise, we hurt people and forfeit their trust. So let’s pause before we speak, and if necessary, take time to pray. We can’t take back our words, so let’s take care in what we say.
Gen 13-16; Luke 1:57-66; Ps 42:1-5; Pro 1:20-27
2022-01-06
John 15:2 TLB
We must allow the pruning process to happen. ‘He prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops.’ Pruning involves cutting off dead branches and cutting back living branches, and both processes are needed to shape the tree and encourage growth. Professional gardeners say that most people are too hesitant when it comes to pruning. But God isn’t. He not only cuts off the parts that are sinful and superficial, He cuts back some parts that are alive and successful; a job that’s going well, a satisfying relationship, or a plan that seems to be working out. God doesn’t just cut off the ‘bad’, but also the ‘good’, in order to give us the ‘best’.
It’s not pleasant, but it’s absolutely essential for spiritual growth. God wants us to bear ‘much fruit’ (John 15:8) in our lives, so we’re going to be pruned! We might be experiencing pruning right now, and it might not all be ‘dead wood’ that’s being removed. God cuts off things we view as productive so that more fruit can be produced in our lives, which can be really confusing. We believe we’re being faithful, so we’re puzzled, and even frustrated, by His pruning.
We might cry out: ‘Why are you doing this, God? I’ve invited You into my work, but it’s not going well. I’ve prayed about my health, but I’m still feeling unwell. I’ve been giving faithfully and I’ve tried to be generous, but now I’m struggling. What’s going on? What are You doing?’ ‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it’ (Hebrews 12:11 NIV). If things seem tough at the moment, it just might be that we’re being pruned for greater fruitfulness.
Gen 10-12; Luke 1:39-56; Ps 10:12-18; Pro 1:17-19
2022-01-05
Luke 8:14 NLT
We must eliminate the weeds. In His parable of the sower, Jesus said the seed fell into four different kinds of soil. ‘The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature’ (v.14 NIV). There are three varieties of ‘weeds’ that can prevent us from growing into spiritual maturity.
1) Worry. We can become so preoccupied with everyday cares that we take our eyes off Jesus.
2) Riches. Making money and buying things can dominate our lives so much that we don’t have time for God.
3) Pleasure. Constantly pursuing the ‘fun stuff’ can choke out our spiritual growth. It’s okay to have a good time, but we also need to protect our priorities and have good times with God too. When we can make time for things like shopping, going to the cinema, playing football, watching TV, or scrolling through social media, but we never seem to have time to read the Bible and pray, our priorities are out of balance.
We might say, ‘I just don’t have time for God right now. I’m too busy. I don’t have time at the moment to commit to Him.’ If that’s the case, we need to do some weeding in our lives. Lots of things in life are not necessarily wrong; they’re just not necessary. We might need to cut back a little on some things to remove the weeds. Fruit trees have to be tended to and protected, but dandelions take no effort; they grow by themselves when we neglect our garden. If the ‘weeds’ in our lives are stopping us bearing ‘fruit’, it’s time to have a rethink about our priorities and take action.
Gen 7-9; Luke 1:26-38; Ps 10:1-11; Pro 1:10-16
2022-01-04
Colossians 2:7 NLT
Paul wrote these words: ‘Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ’ (v.6-10 NLT).
If you ever visit an Arizona desert, you’ll find that it’s full of different kinds of vegetation. The contrasts are fascinating. The dried-up, brittle tumbleweed blows everywhere, because it has no roots, but the saguaro cactus can bear fruit even in 130-degree weather, because its roots go out fifty to sixty feet in all directions.
We must have deep spiritual roots if we’re going to make it through the ‘dry spells’ of life. Most people can put up with a day or two of drought, but what about extended seasons of stress, grief, lack, illness, and adversity? Whatever our lives are rooted to is what we’ll draw our strength from. The psalmist wrote this: ‘They delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind’ (Psalm 1:2-4 NLT). Today pray, ‘Lord, root me deep in you.’
Gen 4-6; Luke 1:11-25; Ps 90:7-17; Pro 1:5-9
2022-01-03
Proverbs 12:3 NLT
We must cultivate deep spiritual roots. ‘Blessed are those who trust in the LORD…They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit’ (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT). This Scripture gives us one reason why we need deep spiritual roots: to make it through the rough times – times of heat and drought.
Solomon said, ‘No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted’ (Proverbs 12:3 NIV). It’s when seasons of adversity hit our lives that we discover what we’re ‘rooted’ to: God’s strength or just our own. When the Bible talks about ‘heat’, it’s talking about the pressures of life. When it talks about ‘drought’, it’s talking about seasons of crisis and lack. We need ‘Roots that reach deep into the water,’ because ‘They never stop producing fruit.’
Because of their roots, the giant redwoods of Northern California can withstand the big forest fires. The roots of large trees can spread up to five times the width of the tree’s leafy canopy. That’s why they’re stable in the storms and droughts. Paul wrote this: ‘I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong…you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God’ (Ephesians 3:16-17, 19 NLT).
Gen 1-3; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 90:1-6; Pro 1:1-4
2022-01-02
John 15:16 NIV
When Jesus said, ‘I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last,’ He was saying, ‘Spend your life aiming for things and doing things that have lasting significance and eternal value!’ What does He mean by ‘fruit’? ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). Those nine qualities describe the only life that’s truly worth living.
Fortunately, we’re not left to produce this kind of fruit through our own efforts. And in fact, we never will be able to do it alone. Jesus said this: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 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’ (John 15:1-2, 4-5 NIV).
Jesus is speaking to every believer, ‘every branch in me’ (v.2 NIV). God, who is ‘the gardener’ (v.1 NIV), has a goal for each of us: to be ‘even more fruitful’ (v.2 NIV). And the secret of fruitfulness is staying in constant contact with Jesus and developing a close relationship with Him. ‘If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit’ (v.5 NIV). So, if we want to be more fruitful, let’s draw closer to Him and look forward to the amazing ways He’ll use us.
2 Chron 7:12-16; Matt 6:5-15; Luke 18:1-8
