Seed With A Powerful Purpose

I will start the year by posting something I am passionate about. Bearing fruit for God. Listen to this, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." These words were spoken by Jesus in John 15:8. According to Jesus bearing fruit brings glory to God. Bearing fruit is the undeniable proof to others that we are true followers of Jesus. When you and I bear fruit, no one can question if we are genuine or not. The fruit is the proof!

My favorite passage in the Bible is about planting seeds and ultimately bearing fruit. I encourage you to read and study Mark 4: 3-20. As the farmer is sowing seeds some fall beside the road. Others are sown into rocky soil. Some are sown into soil that contains thorns. And some are sown into good soil. The seeds sown by the road are immediately eaten by the birds. The seeds sown in the rocky soil immediately spring up, but since the rocks prevent them from taking root, they quickly wither and die in the heat of the sun. The seeds sown among the thorns actually begin to sprout and grow. But so do the thorns, which eventually choke the good plant in such a way that it never bears fruit. The seed which is sown into the good soil becomes well-rooted, grows up, and produces a healthy plant which in turn produces fruit.

 

Why is it so important to Jesus that we bear fruit? Because it brings God glory. Again, Jesus said in bearing fruit His Father is glorified. When a follower of Christ bears fruit...God is glorified. And listen to this...when God is glorified, His kingdom is extended and established here on the earth. That is when impact becomes a reality. Serving God simply out of tradition appears "religious". But tradition and religion have no impact whatsoever. Why? Because they do not bring glory to God. That's why bearing fruit is important to Jesus, and should be important to you and me.

 

The issue in Mark Chapter 4 concerning the 4 types of soils is not about who is saved or not saved. It's simply about planting seeds (God's Word) with the goal of bearing fruit, which in turn brings glory to God. These four conditions can apply to the saved and the unsaved. Even an unsaved heart can produce the fruit of salvation, if prepared to receive the seed of the Word of God. The issue in this passage is also very much about preparing the soil to receive the seed and be cultivated to sustain the seed.

 

The first scenario, the roadside, is completely unprepared to receive the seed. It is impossible for the seed to ever grow because of the hardness of the ground. So the birds come and steal away the seed. This is the hard heart. Jesus said this person hears the Word of God, but because the heart is so hard, the enemy comes and steals the seed of the Word. Stolen seed will never bear fruit and bring God glory. As a matter of fact, the enemy is horrified at any seed that would ultimately bring glory to God by coming to full fruition! So he diligently strives to work against you and me bearing fruit to God's glory.

 

The second scenario, the rocky soil, is somewhat prepared to receive the seed, but cannot support the growth of the seed. The key here is that even though the seed sprouts, it doesn't take root because of the hard rocks in the soil. Because it cannot draw moisture and nourishment from the soil, It quickly withers and dies from the heat of the sun. Jesus said this person receives the seed of the Word immediately and with joy, but when persecution comes, because of the Word, they quickly fall away. The seed is not rooted. In the hard heart, the seed must be cultivated by continually removing the rocks of offense allowing the seed of the Word to take root. As this takes place the seed continues to grow. However, with no cultivation...it dies, and no fruit is born.

 

The third scenario, the soil with thorns, is even more prepared to receive the seed but like the rocky soil, it must be cultivated in order for the seed to come to full fruition. This soil appears to be prepared for planting. There are no rocks and all the weeds have been removed (so it appears). But when the seed begins to sprout and grow, so do the thorns. If you know anything about gardening, weeding must be done on a regular basis to allow the good plants to grow, mature, and bear fruit. Otherwise the weeds will steal the nutrients from the good plants and eventually choke them from bearing fruit. This heart has received the seed of the Word, but the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the seed of the Word. These weeds enter in through a lack of trust and total surrender to Jesus. Whatever we desire more than Jesus becomes the very thorns that choke the Word in us. This person does not bring glory to God, even though they attempt to by the words of their mouth. The seed grows into a plant, but never bears fruit because its potential is choked.

 

Remember, the issue is not saved or unsaved. It is about seed bearing fruit.

The fourth and final scenario is the good soil. This soil is prepared to receive the seeds. It is fertile and nutritious not only for the seed, but for the plant. The good soil eventually produces a multiplied amount of fruit. So what is the key factor in this soil being conducive to seeds bearing fruit? Thanks for asking! Not only was the soil prepared to receive the seed, but the continued process of cultivation of this soil allowed the seeds to stay healthy, growing into healthy plants producing fruit. This heart is not perfect. It is not flawless. But this heart is continually being cultivated through prayer, worship, and repentance. This heart is continuing to receive the seed of God's Word as the blue-print for living life. This person is ever-changing, because they are ever bearing fruit. God is glorified in and by this person!

How do you feel about that? I want to glorify God with my life and service to Him. I know I'm not perfect. I know many of my weaknesses and shortcomings. But I also know God and His infinite grace! When I fall, I get back up. Bearing fruit is not about being flawless. It is however about being sinless before Him. That cannot be attained to by my own efforts. But I have attained to it through the sacrifice of Jesus, my Savior. Jesus bore my sin as He hung on the cross in my place. What a deal!

Make sure you're not only receiving the seed of God's Word. Make sure you also are cultivating the soil of your heart. Make sure that through prayer, praise, worship, repentance, and a steady diet of God's Word you are preparing/cultivating your heart to enhance the growth of the seed. This also means a focused effort to shun the things you have thus far allowed into your life that are choking the see of the Word. The result, fruit! Fruit that brings glory to God. When God is glorified, people see and are changed!
 

Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results By Lovett H. Weems, Jr. & Tom Berlin What's the most important goal of ministry? To transform people's lives! Contrasting "fruitfulness" with "success," Weems and Berlin guide you in developing and implementing a vision that will bring about genuine change in the lives of others. Their practical insights will help your ministry bear fruit in your congregation, community, and the world.

Does Failing Make You A Failure?

I have learned over the years to live my entire life based on God's Word, the Bible. The Holy Bible is without a doubt the genuine blueprint for living life on planet earth and beyond. I've learned so much from God's Word. As His Word has been uncovered to me, one nugget at a time, I have also discovered who I am. Only through, by, and in Christ can this happen.

It is only by the grace of God, revealed to me in His Word and by His Spirit, that I am confident of my position before Him. In Him I am a new creation. In Christ Jesus I am in right-standing with the God of the universe! What does this mean? Among several things, the one thing I want to point out today is that I am not a failure. I may fail (as we all do) but that does not make me a failure. You see, a clear understanding of His grace reveals that whatever happens to us, whatever we experience (good and bad) He causes it all to work together for our good. (See Romans 8:28) This sounds great. But having lived it is even better.

My purpose for this post is to address failure. Does failing make one a failure? Right off let me say "No! Failing does not make you or me a failure!"

My favorite example from God's Word is that of Peter. Peter was that rough, gruff fisherman Jesus called to be one of the leaders of His 12 disciples. Peter, along with the other 11, walked with Jesus for more than 3 years. Jesus poured the riches of the kingdom into Peter. Peter himself emphatically proclaimed "Even if I have to die with you Jesus, I will not deny You!" However, shortly after Jesus was arrested on the night before His crucifixion, he denied Jesus 3 times. You have to understand how serious this was. He denied that he even knew Jesus before a rather large crowd. Jesus heard this denial. When Peter realized that He had denied even knowing the One he loved the most, he went out and wept bitterly.

This wasn't a quick, little "Boo Hoo!" The original language says he went out and "wailed loudly and violently". Peter was truly remorseful. He was shattered. How could he have allowed himself to do such a terrible thing. Peter had failed miserably!

 

The Scripture tells us Jesus knew this would happen, because He prophesied it to Peter and the disciples. Jesus also told Peter to strengthen his brothers when he had turned back to Jesus. Please understand, Jesus knew Peter would fail, yet His plans were for Peter to encourage his brothers...after this epic failure! Peter not only strengthened the brothers, but went on to become a powerful pillar in the early church! Peter failed miserably...but that did not make him a failure. You could say that even though Peter would fail miserably (and Jesus knew it), His plans for Peter were incredible! When we read and study Peter, all he accomplished, and all he wrote in the Bible, it is quite evident Peter was NOT a failure! Peter could have given up, but he didn't.

 

Have you failed? I have. But listen to me carefully...you are not a failure. I am not a failure. Know why? Because you and I are created (in Jesus Christ) for good works. Yes, you may fail again, but you are not a failure. Jesus knows you will fail again. But He also has incredible plans for you, after you fail! This my friend is the grace of God. Just don't give up. Don't quit. Everybody fails, but in and by Christ we are not failures. No one who is the righteousness of Almighty God is a failure. Believe this! Stop thinking otherwise. God's Word is truth!

 

I love the Scripture Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  In Christ you are forgiven. But that's not all, in Him your are His creation. He does not create failures! So even though you have failed, you are not  failure. Press on my friend. You are the righteousness of God....in Christ Jesus!

What Can I say? It's Life-Changing!

One of the highlights of my day comes at the beginning of my day. I love to rise early, spend time in the presence of our loving Jesus, and feed upon His powerful Word. What can I say? I'm addicted! Somehow it is not rote. It is not duty. This time with Him is something I need. As much as I am refreshed, strengthened, and energized, I simply must have my time with Jesus.

 

The time I spend with Jesus is not timed. Some days I spend more time with Him than others. I simply must be with Him! This has given to me over the years a constant awareness of His presence...no matter where I am, what I am doing, or what time of day it is!

 

I can say with much confidence that regular time with Him is a good thing. It is life-changing. It is life sustaining. When the storms come...He is still there. When I don't feel well...He is there. And because He is there, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!

 

I can only imagine what heaven will be like. (No play on song lyrics here.) But I do know that we will be with Him forever! If hanging out with Him here is so life-changing, imagine what it will be like then! I love the fact that we can have just an incredible (life-changing) taste of heaven now!

 

Fortunately there is nothing complicated about being in His presence. It is quite simple. Just focus on Him. Create an environment in which it's just Jesus and you. I use the vehicle of anointed praise and worship music to help. "Anointed" simply means it has God's touch upon it. Somehow it has a supernatural edge. That's what makes the difference. And it takes time. But don't set your timer. Just make the effort (and time) to be with Him. As we focus on Him, the reality of His "bigness" comes into proper perspective as everything else around us seems to fade.

 

I just noticed I have used the term "life-changing" more than once. Guess that's the theme of this post. I like that...life-changing!

 

If you want your life changed, spend time in the His presence. Don't you do all the talking. Again, simply focus on Him. Let His presence do the talking! What can I say? It's life-changing!

 

The Spiritual Life: The Presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit - eBook By Andrew Murray

Please! Allow Me To Rant!

I usually don't rant about too much through my blog, but I think I will today. Please understand my heart in what I am about to write. I'm not posting this to provoke a debate. There are enough of them on social media as it is.

I am a born again Christian. My life was changed back in 1978 as I cried out to Him in the midst of a personal crisis. He heard and answered my cry! As a result, my life is His, no longer mine. He changed my life. I would never, ever want to go back to my old ways again. Knowing and serving Him is just too good to throw away. If you know anything at all about me; or if you read my blog at all, you definitely know where I stand on this.

I also want to say that I am an American. Being an American doesn't make me a Christian. However, as a born again Christian American, I've studied the roots of our nation; roots that are planted deeply in the God of this universe. Modern day History books don't tell the true story of how our nation was founded. But the truth can be found in writings such as "The Light And The Glory" (authored by Peter Marshall and David Manuel).

But this is not a history lesson. It's a rant. Remember? America over the years has drifted away from the God who established her and upheld her over the years. We've said over the years "God bless America!" because He had blessed us. But now we need to be shouting from the rooftops, "America, bless God!" To serve and acknowledge Him is to bless Him. We've fallen way short of this over the past 50 years.

We kicked Him out of our public schools in the early sixties. For decades we've murdered the unborn. Don't you ever forget, the God who "gives" life cannot bless the process of "taking" innocent life. Because we've buried our heads in the sand, thinking it would go away, the consequences of murdering the unborn have overtaken our nation. And just recently the high court of our land decided to redefine the meaning of the marriage institution which, let me add, was established by God. Please, don't be a fool, thinking mere man can override anything God Almighty has established.

If I conducted extensive research on the current administration in Washington, I don't believe I could find a single thing about it I could defend. There's just nothing there. But here me out! Stop blaming our President! Stop blaming Washington! America is at fault...not just our leaders! We are the ones who have allowed this to go on, year after year.

What is happening in our land today is a result of a nation (over time) turning its back on the God of all creation. Listen to just a small portion of a passage of Scripture from Romans Chapter One. "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper..." (Romans 1: 28) This means God let them have their perverted way. If this is what we choose, so be it! However, He will not (and cannot) pour out blessings on the one (or nation) which has chosen to go its own way.

My mind is baffled at the lack of perception of the American people (including much of His church). Not many seem to perceive the trouble our nation is in. Much of this is caused by greed. Greed runs rampant from Washington through the corporate realm down to the grassroots level. Greed feeds the present, but blinds one of the inevitable consequences. Sooner or later the wage of greed arrives undoing the one caught in it.

Another cause of the blindness in America is the degradation of morality from one generation to the next. Simply stated, many who know God and who have high morals do not raise up future generations to do the same. As a matter of fact, many folks are so deluded that they want to hide truth and morality from the next generation to insure they fail to walk in it. Greed feeds on the absence of truth and morality.

I could take this rant on a rather long ride. However, I'll head for the exit ramp. But let me say, (at the risk of being labeled a "doomer and gloomer") if things don't change, it soon will be too late. What? Pretty negative. But there is a lot of negative in our land today from Washington on down. Will it naturally evolve into a better state? I don't think so. Ponder the way things are going. What kind of world do you want your children and grandchildren to grow up in? It probably won't change...however, can we change?

There is only One way to reverse the degradation in our land, cry out to Jesus as I did in 1978. Watch things change! It's that simple! God never left. We left Him. Turn back to God. Repent for the sins of our nation. Change the way you live. Live for Him. As you cry out to Him in behalf of our nation, He will enable you to change your life. There is hope. But that hope is slowly slipping away. What will you do. It's not up to Washington. It's not up to the Republicans or the Democrats. It's up to you my friend. Heaven is waiting. God stands ready to bless America again, but we must return to Him! Rant over.

The Light and the Glory, revised and expanded edition: 1492 - 1793 By Peter Marshall & David Manuel Did Columbus believe that God called him west to undiscovered lands? Does American democracy owe its inception to the handful of Pilgrims that settled at Plymouth? If, indeed, there was a specific, divine call upon this nation, is it still valid today? The Light and the Glory answers these questions and many more for history buffs. As readers look at their nation's history from God's point of view, they will begin to have an idea of how much we owe to a very few--and how much is still at stake. Now revised and expanded for the first time in more than thirty years, The Light and the Glory is poised to show new readers just how special their country is.