Lets
Look back! This devotion has been adapted but has not been cut much shorter. The question came to me about how we know how to live in Christ. Another question was posed that inquired about how we know we are baring good fruits. The following is what I had answered before, with a few adaptations.
In His Word!
And
may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD,
be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His
servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, that all
the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. Let
your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and
keep His commandments, as at this day." 1 Kings 8:59-61
Then
King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he
still lived, and he said, "How do you advise me to answer these
people?" And they spoke to him,
saying, "If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them,
and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants
forever." But he rejected the
advice, which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had
grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, "What advice
do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying,
'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" Then the young men who
had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to this
people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but
you make it lighter on us' -- thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger
shall be thicker than my father's waist! And now, whereas my father put a heavy
yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I
will chastise you with scourges!'"
1 Kings 12:6-11
And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives,
whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak."
Then
he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to
war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him,
"Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the
king!" So, the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you
swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" Then
he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have
no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his
house in peace.'" 1 Kings 22:14-17
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If
a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you
can do nothing. If anyone does not
remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such
branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in
you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's
glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John
15:5-8
The Word of God tells us that His
promises are for those who are loyal and truthful to Him. From this we know
that if we are following His will in our lives and are right with God; then His
promises will be true for us!
What
do we do when we do not see those things coming to pass that we truly believed
God had promised for us?
-
-
First -We drop
to our knees and ask God if there is anything in us that is causing us to slow
or stop the process.
In other words, we get right with God! Even a Christian can stumble and stray!
We need to be sure that we are being obedient to His will in our lives!
-
-
Sometimes
God has a different plan than we figured it was. After all we are human and fallible.
-
Praying
each day, really praying, and talking to Him as well as listening to Him will
direct us in our path
-
We will be
known by our fruits!
If we are right with God, then our fruits will come out ripe. John 15- Jesus
tells us that when we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit. Of course, this
brings us back to the first thing I said we need to do and that is abide with
Him. Spend time talking with Jesus daily and thank God for the things He has done
and given to you. Let your light shine
before men, and they will see the Holy Spirit within you. The fruit of the
spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… These things should be seen in
our lives.
But
the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law
against these things! Galatians 5:22-23
-
So, what is
Good Fruit, and how do I know it when I see it? Everything we
do has a possibility of bearing either good fruit or bad. When you tie your shoe if you do it wrong it
can come undone and cause you to stumble… that would be ‘bad fruit’ for your
labor of tying your shoe.
-
Yes,
I know this is a small example. Good fruit will bring goodness, happiness and
well, all of the fruits of the spirit are
good examples. Our actions have consequences, these consequences produce fruit
in our lives and through our lives that is visible to others. When the scripture
says we are known by our fruit it is telling us that people will see how we
behave and know if we are of God or not. The best way to know that we are producing
good fruits is to get in the Word and prayer daily.
-
It’s
like the saying garbage in garbage out. If you put the
-
Word
of God in regularly then that will come out of your mouth!
Okay,
now I know my own fruits, but how do I know someone else’s? You can know someone elses fruits the same
way that you know your own. See if the Truth is in them! Bring everything into
close scrutiny with the Word of God If something your friend said did not agree
with the Word of God, your Bible, then it is not something you should listen to
as wise counsel! ( 1 Kings12:6-11) These scriptures are telling of a king
seeking wise counsel. If you read the whole chapter, you will get the whole picture.
He had the choice of whom to follow, but he chose wisely and followed what the
Lord wanted in the end and even though it was hard on his constituents, he did
what he needed to.
-
His will will
not always be what looks like fun! Often the road less traveled is
actually the correct path to follow! It is not easy leading, or following for
that matter, down a path that does not look like it will be easy. That is
probably because it won’t be! We are not told that being a believer and
following God is easy. I do not think I
have ever read that being a Christian meant my life would suddenly be perfect
and all would be well. It just means that I have a Leader to follow. 1 John
320.
-
-
I have a Connection to the Truth and a Guide to
map my path!
(1Kings 22:14-18)What we say, or do may not always be popular, but as long as
it is what the Word of God, and Holy Spirit are guiding us to do that is what
we need to follow. Be sure that is what you are doing, God will know the truth,
and the Truth in you will guide you!
-
We need to be
obedient to His Word, and His will in our lives. When we
follow the Word, spend time in His Word, in His presence, then we will know the
truth. Then we will be able to be obedient to His will, and to His Word! That is
the easy part! Looking to Him for direction, looking to Him for guidance, and
looking to Him for the peace that will come even in the midst of the worse
trial you have ever had to endure! (Romans 8:31)
-
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If
God is for us, who can be against us?
-
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for
being there whenever I call. Thank you for being my Guide in this world we live
in, helping me to get through the muck and the mire and see Your Goodness. Help
me today to do Your will in my life, in all that I do let me do it for You. In
Jesus name, amen.
Suggested
Readings for this week;
Monday:
Rom
8:31-39
Tuesday:Matthew
7-all
Wednesday: I
Kings 8:59-64
Thursday:
Psalm 109:all
Friday: Romans
9-all
Weekend readings: 1 Kings 12-all
***If
for any reason you choose ever not to receive this devotion again please
remember that all it takes is replying with a "Please remove me from this
list." I do ask that if there is a problem with anything I write for you
to feel free to write me back and let me know what the problem was, that we
might go over it together and seek the truth in love.
In His love,
Teresa M. Wilson
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If
God is for us, who can be against us?
(from New International Version)