Genesis 1:27-30
God created human beings; he
created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature.He created them male and
female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every
living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Then God said,
“I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth and every kind
of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and
all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out
of the ground for food.” And there it was.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When my mother was placed on
Hospice and returned back to her house, two of her husband’s daughters
(who both live in Tennessee) – Janet and Suzanne - came to help with her
care. Both women are nurses, and their expertise was greatly
appreciated. Janet’s husband, Craig, accompanied her…as well as their
daughter, Sara, who was still on winter break from college. Almost upon
their arrival, Janet and Craig sat down and made a menu plan. Then off
to the store Craig went.
Craig returned with multiple sacks of
groceries, and the kitchen became a beehive of activity. He browned
hamburger meat and chicken, chopped and sautéed vegetables, and boiled
pasta. He and Janet even baked two delicious chocolate “Texas Sheet
Cakes!” In short, Craig created meals to sustain us for the next several
days. Along with dishes generously provided by friends of my mother,
we ate like kings and queens.
The beautiful thig about all of
this is that my sister, Greg and I did not have to do a thing. All of
our needs were met as we focused on caring for Mother and tending to
other important business. We knew that we would be physically fed. But
we were “fed” in other ways, also, as people reached out to provide for
all of our needs as best they could. We were encouraged, nurtured, and
prayed over. Cards, flowers, phone calls and countless electronic
messages reminded us to “hang in there”…”get some rest”…and “be sure to
remember to breathe.” All that we needed in that moment was provided.
There
is a wonderful old hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” – written in 1925
by Thomas Chisholm. One line of the chorus says…”All I have needed, Thy
hand hath provided.” Truly, God provides all that we need, in every
circumstance. God provided for our needs in ways I cannot even describe
in the last two months…and I know that He will continue to do so. His
command to us is to go…to do… to represent Him as good
stewards of all that His hand hath provided…to “feed His sheep” in every
sense of the word.
Look around…who needs you? Where do you need
to use what God has provided to “prosper and reproduce?” This is about
more than creating future generations. God wants us to be good
stewards of ALL of His gifts…and to multiply His kingdom by sharing His
love, grace, kindness and mercy with others so that they want to belong
to Him, also. What opportunities lie before you to accomplish this goal
with whatever means God has equipped you?
Isn’t it time we got
busy fulfilling the commands of Genesis 1? How will you feed the sheep
of Jesus? When and where will you “prosper and reproduce” in His name?
Don’t you think it’s time to decide?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label bearing good fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bearing good fruit. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for August 4, 2015
Galatians 5:22-24
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I asked Timothy to sing a little “Fruits of the Spirit” song for Greg and me that he learned at church from his teacher, Mrs. Glenda. The song starts off asking if a coconut, banana, watermelon and lemon are “Fruits of the Spirit.” Depending on which version of the song you sing, other fruits are included in subsequent verses, but the tune says, “If you wanna be a coconut (banana/watermelon/lemon) you might as well hear it. You can’t be a fruit of the Spirit! ‘Cause the ‘fruit’ is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
When Timothy finished singing for us, he said, “But wait a minute! Those are not real fruits you can eat!” I tried to explain to him that there are other kinds of “fruits”…but he was off to play with Legos®, so that is a discussion to continue with this six-year-old on another day.
The “Message” translation of Galatians explains that God gives Christians the “fruits of the spirit” just as He places fruit on the trees and vines of orchards and vineyards. And as orchards and vineyards that are properly tended and well-cared for produce the best apples, peaches, pears, grapes and more…the “fruits of the spirit” are more clearly evident and effective in those of us who make every effort to live God’s way.
As for legalism…too many Christians have gotten bogged down in things that may sound impressive and important but really have nothing to do with producing these nine “good fruits.” I’m talking about our obsession with things like prayer in school (which has never been removed!), whether we can post the Ten Commandments on public grounds, and the current preoccupation with whether or not a particular church or pastor is going to begin conducting same-sex marriages.
We get so caught up in making a show that we fail to work on our personal relationship with God and the effort to cultivate His fruits. We’re like the farmer who has covered his crop with insecticide and cross-cultivated to produce the biggest, prettiest, most disease-and-insect-free apples possible…and they taste like cardboard! The fruit looks good…but it has no flavor – and probably little to no nutritional value!
If you want to be a beautifully polished “apple” in God’s orchard…go right ahead and keep putting other things ahead of getting real with Him and figuring out what He desires of you…where He wants you to serve and minister…and how He wants you to represent Jesus to others. But if you are serious about operating in the fruits of God’s Spirit, the time has come to focus on what matters to Him rather than the mortal agenda that has been created by many Christians – well-intentioned as they may be.
It’s time to quite twisting God’s words and His plans to suit what we have deemed to be important and representative of Him…and to fall on our knees and say, “Lord, I’m ready for You to cultivate Your good fruit in me.” Where are you marshaling your energies these days? Are you focused on cultivating the “Fruits of the Spirit” and demonstrating them to others…or are your efforts directed at making a point?
Do you want to be a pretty hybrid, tasteless “fruit”…or do you want to represent God’s best and finest? How you answer defines your Christian faith and discipleship…and pretty well tells the world where you stand. What is your “fruit” saying?
©2015 Debbie Robus
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I asked Timothy to sing a little “Fruits of the Spirit” song for Greg and me that he learned at church from his teacher, Mrs. Glenda. The song starts off asking if a coconut, banana, watermelon and lemon are “Fruits of the Spirit.” Depending on which version of the song you sing, other fruits are included in subsequent verses, but the tune says, “If you wanna be a coconut (banana/watermelon/lemon) you might as well hear it. You can’t be a fruit of the Spirit! ‘Cause the ‘fruit’ is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
When Timothy finished singing for us, he said, “But wait a minute! Those are not real fruits you can eat!” I tried to explain to him that there are other kinds of “fruits”…but he was off to play with Legos®, so that is a discussion to continue with this six-year-old on another day.
The “Message” translation of Galatians explains that God gives Christians the “fruits of the spirit” just as He places fruit on the trees and vines of orchards and vineyards. And as orchards and vineyards that are properly tended and well-cared for produce the best apples, peaches, pears, grapes and more…the “fruits of the spirit” are more clearly evident and effective in those of us who make every effort to live God’s way.
As for legalism…too many Christians have gotten bogged down in things that may sound impressive and important but really have nothing to do with producing these nine “good fruits.” I’m talking about our obsession with things like prayer in school (which has never been removed!), whether we can post the Ten Commandments on public grounds, and the current preoccupation with whether or not a particular church or pastor is going to begin conducting same-sex marriages.
We get so caught up in making a show that we fail to work on our personal relationship with God and the effort to cultivate His fruits. We’re like the farmer who has covered his crop with insecticide and cross-cultivated to produce the biggest, prettiest, most disease-and-insect-free apples possible…and they taste like cardboard! The fruit looks good…but it has no flavor – and probably little to no nutritional value!
If you want to be a beautifully polished “apple” in God’s orchard…go right ahead and keep putting other things ahead of getting real with Him and figuring out what He desires of you…where He wants you to serve and minister…and how He wants you to represent Jesus to others. But if you are serious about operating in the fruits of God’s Spirit, the time has come to focus on what matters to Him rather than the mortal agenda that has been created by many Christians – well-intentioned as they may be.
It’s time to quite twisting God’s words and His plans to suit what we have deemed to be important and representative of Him…and to fall on our knees and say, “Lord, I’m ready for You to cultivate Your good fruit in me.” Where are you marshaling your energies these days? Are you focused on cultivating the “Fruits of the Spirit” and demonstrating them to others…or are your efforts directed at making a point?
Do you want to be a pretty hybrid, tasteless “fruit”…or do you want to represent God’s best and finest? How you answer defines your Christian faith and discipleship…and pretty well tells the world where you stand. What is your “fruit” saying?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 7, 2014
John 15:5
I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This morning, I went and got my outdoor potted plants out of my niece’s basement, where they have spent the winter. It’s warm enough now to set them out on our back porch again. Over the last few months, these plants grew spindly…and some even developed dead wood. So I first set them out on the driveway and gave them all a good pruning before placing them in their spots for the summer.
As I cut away thick, leggy begonia stems, I saved a couple of sprouts to put back into the dirt and hopefully add a little fullness to the pot. But many of the branches went into the trash can. Without soil and water, they will wither and die there. Apart from the vine that sustained them, these stems are pretty much worthless. Now here’s the thing about begonia plants in particular. These cut sprigs can do fairly well for a while apart from the vine. They are hardy (or are they stubborn?)...and I could probably keep them in a vase with just a little water for several days – or even weeks. But to really thrive, they need the vine…and the soil.
If you back up and read the first few verses of John 15, you hear him talk about how God prunes back the branches that are not producing good fruit…much as I pruned back the wiry twigs of these house plants. In just a few short weeks, what was left after the pruning will fill out and flourish – and be better than ever!
This is how it is with us and God. We are like the begonia plant that has a lot of “useless fruit” – or “spindly legs” that take us nowhere. Apart from God, we might manage okay for a while…or at least we will think we are doing okay! But eventually, we will start to realize that we are not reaching our full potential…that things are not going as well as we hoped…or maybe even that our lives are falling apart. We may stubbornly attempt to persevere on our own…but this will never work for long.
We need the Vine. In order to thrive, we need God’s nurture and ever-present care and attention. With God, all things are possible. Without Him…our efforts are no more valuable than the discarded begonia stems I threw in the trash. What we accomplish on our own will never measure up. It won’t satisfy…and more importantly, it won’t please God. We either stay joined to Him, or we waste our time and energy…and God’s.
I’ll be honest…it pained me a little to cut those vines and blossoms from my plants. And it pains God to cut out the “dead wood”, too. But I know what is coming. I have done this before, and I know that the results will soon be beautiful and lush and delightful. And God knows this, too. He is ready to support you and watch you soar. Are you ready to cling to Him and produce “good fruit”?
©2014 Debbie Robus
I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This morning, I went and got my outdoor potted plants out of my niece’s basement, where they have spent the winter. It’s warm enough now to set them out on our back porch again. Over the last few months, these plants grew spindly…and some even developed dead wood. So I first set them out on the driveway and gave them all a good pruning before placing them in their spots for the summer.
As I cut away thick, leggy begonia stems, I saved a couple of sprouts to put back into the dirt and hopefully add a little fullness to the pot. But many of the branches went into the trash can. Without soil and water, they will wither and die there. Apart from the vine that sustained them, these stems are pretty much worthless. Now here’s the thing about begonia plants in particular. These cut sprigs can do fairly well for a while apart from the vine. They are hardy (or are they stubborn?)...and I could probably keep them in a vase with just a little water for several days – or even weeks. But to really thrive, they need the vine…and the soil.
If you back up and read the first few verses of John 15, you hear him talk about how God prunes back the branches that are not producing good fruit…much as I pruned back the wiry twigs of these house plants. In just a few short weeks, what was left after the pruning will fill out and flourish – and be better than ever!
This is how it is with us and God. We are like the begonia plant that has a lot of “useless fruit” – or “spindly legs” that take us nowhere. Apart from God, we might manage okay for a while…or at least we will think we are doing okay! But eventually, we will start to realize that we are not reaching our full potential…that things are not going as well as we hoped…or maybe even that our lives are falling apart. We may stubbornly attempt to persevere on our own…but this will never work for long.
We need the Vine. In order to thrive, we need God’s nurture and ever-present care and attention. With God, all things are possible. Without Him…our efforts are no more valuable than the discarded begonia stems I threw in the trash. What we accomplish on our own will never measure up. It won’t satisfy…and more importantly, it won’t please God. We either stay joined to Him, or we waste our time and energy…and God’s.
I’ll be honest…it pained me a little to cut those vines and blossoms from my plants. And it pains God to cut out the “dead wood”, too. But I know what is coming. I have done this before, and I know that the results will soon be beautiful and lush and delightful. And God knows this, too. He is ready to support you and watch you soar. Are you ready to cling to Him and produce “good fruit”?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for June 30, 2013
Isaiah 11:13
Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not be rivals anymore.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
My mother-in-law dog sits for several families. She keeps their dogs for anywhere from one day to a few weeks, as needed. One couple has two little dogs… Breezy and Cookie. Breezy is an older dog… Cookie is fairly young and new… both are what I call “dust mops!” Cookie is all energetic and friendly… Breezy is old and tired. But Breezy was here first… and she is jealous of Cookie! So when Cookie runs past her and jumps into my mother-in-law’s lap, Breezy barks and growls. She knows that she cannot jump up that high… but she does not like it that Cookie can!
Of course, petty jealousy among animals is to be expected… and fairly uncontrollable. By nature, most animals are territorial. They do not like when another encroaches on their space. This can cause some pretty good ruckuses and commotions! And we are all jealous at one time or another. Even God is jealous… He does not like it when we give our attention and devotion to something or someone other than Him!
But a lot of our acts of envy, resentment, suspicion, distrust, and desire of another’s possessions or traits are unnecessary… and could be avoided. As a result, we could have a whole lot more peace in our daily living! The first step in achieving this can begin with Isaiah 11. Start at the beginning of this chapter. We are told of the coming of “a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root”. This “Branch” is Jesus Christ. Isaiah describes Him this way…
God’s jealousy over us is a protective one… a possessiveness of us borne out of our Father’s deep abiding love for His children. His is not necessarily envy as much as a desire to be first and foremost in our lives… to be the only focus of our worship and devotion. Human jealousy has an ugly side and features suspicion, distrust, covetousness, resentfulness, and selfish desires. Because of God’s jealousy, we find peace in belonging solely to Him. Because of our own human jealousy, we often experience anything but peace!
In Jesus, we find the perfect example of how to honor and obey the LORD… to discover complete peace in Him…and to bear “good fruit.” Unlike Cookie and Breezy and other canines, we humans DO have a choice. We can do our best to model the teachings of Jesus Christ. We can seek lives of peace and calm rather than discord and commotion.
We can “bear good fruit” that reflects our relationship to the “Branch”. We can call on God to end our internal rivalries and fill us with serenity and an inner stillness… and He will gladly do this. Aren’t you ready to experience this for yourself? Will this be the day your “rivalries” end?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not be rivals anymore.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
My mother-in-law dog sits for several families. She keeps their dogs for anywhere from one day to a few weeks, as needed. One couple has two little dogs… Breezy and Cookie. Breezy is an older dog… Cookie is fairly young and new… both are what I call “dust mops!” Cookie is all energetic and friendly… Breezy is old and tired. But Breezy was here first… and she is jealous of Cookie! So when Cookie runs past her and jumps into my mother-in-law’s lap, Breezy barks and growls. She knows that she cannot jump up that high… but she does not like it that Cookie can!
Of course, petty jealousy among animals is to be expected… and fairly uncontrollable. By nature, most animals are territorial. They do not like when another encroaches on their space. This can cause some pretty good ruckuses and commotions! And we are all jealous at one time or another. Even God is jealous… He does not like it when we give our attention and devotion to something or someone other than Him!
But a lot of our acts of envy, resentment, suspicion, distrust, and desire of another’s possessions or traits are unnecessary… and could be avoided. As a result, we could have a whole lot more peace in our daily living! The first step in achieving this can begin with Isaiah 11. Start at the beginning of this chapter. We are told of the coming of “a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root”. This “Branch” is Jesus Christ. Isaiah describes Him this way…
- The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
- He will delight in obeying the Lord.
- He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
- He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited.
- The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
- He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.
God’s jealousy over us is a protective one… a possessiveness of us borne out of our Father’s deep abiding love for His children. His is not necessarily envy as much as a desire to be first and foremost in our lives… to be the only focus of our worship and devotion. Human jealousy has an ugly side and features suspicion, distrust, covetousness, resentfulness, and selfish desires. Because of God’s jealousy, we find peace in belonging solely to Him. Because of our own human jealousy, we often experience anything but peace!
In Jesus, we find the perfect example of how to honor and obey the LORD… to discover complete peace in Him…and to bear “good fruit.” Unlike Cookie and Breezy and other canines, we humans DO have a choice. We can do our best to model the teachings of Jesus Christ. We can seek lives of peace and calm rather than discord and commotion.
We can “bear good fruit” that reflects our relationship to the “Branch”. We can call on God to end our internal rivalries and fill us with serenity and an inner stillness… and He will gladly do this. Aren’t you ready to experience this for yourself? Will this be the day your “rivalries” end?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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