March 19, 2018

March 19, 2018

What is the fruit we will bear when we remain in Jesus? Fruit means result. First, I would like to note that we bear this fruit through the energy that enters us from Jesus. It is not a matter of doing good deeds to please God and earn favor with him. Those efforts are usually short lived and fall short of our expectations.

The first fruit is a transformed life. The Apostle says it well, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17) There is something different in our hearts; our desires have experienced a change. We have new and different ambitions and goals for our lives. The first fruit is that we are changed for the good.

Another fruit is what the Bible calls, “the fruit of the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22 &23 say, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” It takes some reorganization deep down inside to produce that. Most humans are not that way; we are by nature selfish. But we like to be around those kinds of people. That is the work of the Holy Spirit that God gives to those who remain in Jesus.

A third fruit I will mention is, concern for others, or service to others. As you might guess, a person who has the fruit of the Spirit, has a lot of compassion and concern for others. They look out for their friends and neighbors. They share with them when they have needs. They enjoy doing deeds of kindness. They are like Jesus. They like to share the greatest thing they have ever received, Jesus. They want other to know him and “remain in him.” When someone comes to know Jesus as the result of a believer sharing, that is the greatest fruit the Christian can ever experience. Jesus said, “There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)

 

March 14, 2018

Jesus said:” If a person remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5) In verse four he promised that if a person remains in him he would remain in them. So, we can say, that based on the Word of God, if we remain in Jesus we will bear much fruit.

How do we remain in Jesus? Well first, we must put our faith in Jesus and invite him to become the boss of our lives. Then he comes into our lives, transforms/rearranges them and lives with in us, and we live in him.  It is like when we move into a house and make it our home. He makes things really wonderful. It can be a bit painful when he rearranges things, but it is worth it.

The word “remain” means we make this a permanent relationship. We keep submitting to him – obeying him. We seek to know him better through Bible study, worship and prayer. Through these three disciplines we communicate, and our relationship grows.

(Next time, what is this fruit we will bear?)