Posts Tagged ‘fruitful life’

What’s Your One Wish?

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

If you could ask God for anything you wanted, what would it be? These possibilities come to mind when I brainstorm this question (in no particular order):

  • good health
  • a long life
  • a strong marriage
  • the ability to undo a past mistake
  • wisdom
  • more hours in each day
  • financial security
  • assurance that what I do day in and day out really matters

Well, guess what? You can ask God for whatever you want. John 15:7 says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”  Sweet, eh?

When I read these words, I immediately thought, Grant me a fruitful life, Lord.  Use me to make an eternal difference in the lives of countless people around the world. I figured this sounded like a good Christian prayer. After all, the next verse says, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” Surely God will grant my wish.

Remain in Christ and your life will be fruitful.

The more I ponder this wish, however, the more I realize that I can do better. My wish shouldn’t be for a fruitful life; it ought to be for the ability to remain in Christ. If that wish is granted, then fruitfulness will come automatically. John 15:5 says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

And so, if I could ask God for anything I want, my wish is this: That He will teach me what it means to remain in Him. I see this as a foundation stone for my faith. It impacts every aspect of my life—choices, priorities, values, attitudes, and more. I look forward to seeing how God will answer.

How about you? If you could ask God for anything you wanted, what would it be?

Photo courtesy: www.christianphotos.net

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Feeling versus Knowing

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Amen to the comment about yesterday’s post! When Joseph was betrayed by his family and then thrown into prison for being lied about, I wonder how he felt. Did he feel like God was with him? Or did he have to choose to believe it?

Therein lies the challenge for real life, eh? Heaven help us from living life based on our feelings. Sheesh, we can get ourselves into a lot of trouble that way. And we can find ourselves in a pit of despair, too. The enemy just loves to mess with our minds, feeding us lies to discourage us when we’re going through tough stuff. We have to fight back by filling our minds with God’s truth and choosing to believe it.

When we live according to God’s truth, we can overcome all the negatives that the enemy throws our way. And we can flourish in the midst of the challenges. Joseph’s life proves that this is possible.

This morning I read more about Joseph’s story. Genesis 41:52 says this: “Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, ‘God has made me fruitful in this land of my suffering.’” This really challenged me to think about my response to difficulties.

Could I say that God makes me fruitful in my suffering? Do good things result from my response to hard times? Or do I tend to curl up in a fetal position and wish the world would go away? Do I harbor bitterness? Do I whine about my circumstances and compare my lot to others who never seem to have problems?

I sure hope it’s not the latter. I want to learn to embrace difficulties as opportunities to bear fruit, more fruit, and even MORE fruit!

How about you? If you have a story about how God produced fruit through suffering in your life, I’d love for you to tell us about it here.

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The Secret to a Fruitful Life

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

Thursday, January 1

As the new year dawns, I’m filled with a sense of anticipation about what God wants to do in and through my life in 2009. While I don’t know the details, I’m confident that He wants me to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Him and to bear fruit that will last for eternity. And so, as I opened my Bible this morning, I asked God to bring this to pass.

Typically I use the One Year Bible in the New Living Translation for my devotions. This morning, I read Psalm 1, and its words seemed to leap off the page.

“Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.” (vv. 2,3)

What’s the secret to having a fruitful life? One of the major keys is obedience. When God has a plan and asks me to participate, I need to say yes. And I need to do so with delight.

I think of a teenager being asked by his mom to take out the trash. He can respond in either of two ways. He could whine and moan and complain — “Aw, Mom, do I have to?” or he could say, “Sure, Mom. No problem. I’ll get right to it” and obey cheerfully. Which response brings greatest joy to his mother? The latter, of course.

And so it is with God’s children. When He gives us a task, we need to say yes with a cheerful heart — even if we don’t understand why He’s asking us to do a certain thing. By doing so, we show Him respect. We demonstrate our love for Him, and He is pleased.

The other key, I believe, is filling our minds with God’s Word. When we do that, we begin thinking His thoughts and valuing the same things He values. That will transform our behavior, and that will impact the world around us for Jesus Christ.

The natural result of living life with God’s values in mind is fruitful living. It’s not something we have strive for, it just happens when we’re walking in obedience to His will and thinking His thoughts.

That’s the kind of life I want! How about you?

“Lord, grant us hearts that take delight in obeying You even if Your directives seem difficult or hard to understand. Give us the strength to train our minds on You so that we will begin to think as You do. And give us the privilege of bearing fruit without fail. We love you. Amen.”

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