A few weeks ago I spoke on a Wednesday night at one of our midweek services. During that message I began bringing out some very specific information in relation to living the Christian life and keeping our focus placed on God. I wanted to take a moment and share it with you as I feel it was given not only as a reminder for me but for anyone willing to read this blog {and I know there are millions of you who race to read it 🙂 }. We can turn on the nightly news and instantly know we are living in a crazy world filled with so much negativity. We see and hear about so many things that blatantly go against how the word of God teaches us [Christians] to live our lives. Even worse, many of the things that tend to draw the biggest audiences are the numerous stories involving those who call themselves Christian and involve themselves in some very questionable activities. Sadly, Christians are the very ones who are tarnishing the name of God. You all know who and what I’m talking about so there’s no need to bring out names and point fingers. The main question I want to pose today is this, what type of fruit are YOU bearing…..are ARE you bearing fruit?
In relation to living the Christian life the word of God reminds us in Psalms 1:1-6, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” We are given specific promises from God but they are only legitimate if we are living under His covering and abide by the road map He has provided for us via His word. This portion of scripture above warns us of some very important things that we would do well to remember.
As Christians it’s important to be aware of who we allow to speak into our lives. You know who I’m talking about—those people we go to for counsel. Personally I have only about five people who I will actually go to for guidance and I chose them simply based on the fruit they bear. Their lives have proven to me that I can trust them and go to them for guidance when I can’t seem to find the answers to questions I may have. The scripture above also warns us about the type of lifestyle we live, as we have been warned against, “…standing in the way of sinner.” What do you base your habits or moral character on? We also must guard against sitting, “…in the seat of the scornful.” Better expressed, what type of company are you keeping? Chances are, if you are hanging around negative people—most likely you will or have already become a negative person. We all know the old adage, “What you put in is what you get out.” Now, hear me LOUD AND CLEAR as I say this—I am NOT encouraging the Christian to shun the unbeliever. By doing so it becomes impossible to fulfill the Great Commission. The idea I am presenting and that is being portrayed in the scripture above is this—We MUST guard our hearts, minds, the way we live our lives, and our belief systems lest the world begin to influence our thinking rather than the other way around. This can come in the most unexpected ways through television and movies, the music we listen to, the books and magazines we read and in MANY other ways. If we don’t guard ourselves we may stumble into many of the same traps others have fallen into. Rather than being salt and light we begin to blend in with our surroundings. If we are not setting ourselves apart in how we live our life then it can very well seem like we are condoning the wrongdoings of others. And hear me when I say I’m NOT encouraging you to judge others. I’m talking about YOU setting YOURSELF apart.
We are reminded in that same scripture blessed it the man/woman who ‘meditates on the law of the Lord—day and night.’ There are blessings associated by living a Christ-focused life. The Christian life is LESS about rules and regulations and MORE about the divine protection that comes from abiding in Him. By ‘meditating’ we begin to better understand why those prohibitions were put in place thus allowing us to have a deeper relationship with God. It is then we realize He’s trying to protect us rather than prevent us from ‘having fun.’ If we understand why the law is there it will change how we respond to it. We will then become, [v. 3] “..like a tree planted by rivers of water {a reference to the Holy Spirit/God} that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.” By heeding this warning we become more grounded and rooted in Him and receive our nourishment from the proper source rather than searching for earthly things to fill a void on HE can fill.
The fruit we bear was never intended for our enjoyment or nourishment to begin with. An apple tree doesn’t gain nourishment from the apples it bears but rather from the soil, sun, and water through its roots. Our fruit is there as a testimony to others around us of who God is. Side note: New Christians [and even those who have been in the faith for quite some time] would do well to remember fruit doesn’t appear overnight. There’s a process, and sometimes it’s not an easy process as we have to endure the elements associated with those harsher seasons like summer and winter to get to our harvesting season.
If you claim to be a Christian, you wear His name. You are either bringing exhortations or reproach to His name. What kind of fruit are you bearing today???
PS—Please overlook any typos as I didn’t have the same amount of time as normal to look over and correct any existing issues.