When one of our staff members was a little girl, she accepted Jesus as her savior, and a few months later she was baptized in front of her church congregation. Before baptizing her, the pastor asked the little girl if she had experienced any change in her life since accepting Christ. She replied very matter-a-factly that since being saved she had been a lot nicer to her sisters. The congregation laughed, but the little girl didn’t understand what was so funny. Since being saved she had listened to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and studied the Bible to better understand how she was to live and behave as a believer. Her being nicer to her sisters was a direct result of accepting Jesus, and letting His love and teachings guide her behavior.
When we accept Christ into our hearts there is no blinking neon sign to let everyone else know; our outward actions and behaviors tell the world that we are followers of God. During devotional today we studied Luke 6:43 :
“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
These verses are such a simple—but convicting—reminder that if we have the Holy Spirit living inside us than we should be producing good fruit for the world to see. Of course, these verses aren’t telling us that we have to be perfect. God knows we aren’t perfect and that’s why He sent Jesus to make the world right. But He also gave us believers His Holy Spirit to dwell inside us and guide us into the life that He wants for us. Through Him, we can build a treasury of a good heart to share with the rest of the world, so that they may see Jesus in us.
As we discussed these verses and waited on the Lord, we talked about how if we were trees than God was a gardener who knew what was best for us in every way. He is the life that flows through us and helps us grow in His mercy and love on a daily basis. Below are some truths we received from the Lord this morning during our devotional time:
- If God is the life flowing through our agency than we should be producing good fruit. We give all honor, glory, and thanks to God for the blessings He continually pours over us as an agency, and we want the rest of the world to see Him through us. Several staff members shared that they felt the Lord tell them that He wants His light and love to shine through them as they go about their daily work. We are able to interact with so many people through our work, and we desire that those who don’t know God are able to see the good fruit we bear because of Him; we want them to ask questions and come to know Jesus.
- Gardeners know best what their plants need to survive and thrive. If we are trees, God is our Gardener and He knows how to take care of us. He knows when to give us water and when to prune the dead leaves and fruit from us so that we can grow better. He does not leave us to try and grow ourselves through our own strength.
- There is no hidden agenda with God. He tells us plainly in the verses above that good produces more good and bad produces more bad. He is good; therefore, if we put our trust in Him, He will guide us to more good things. He does not trick us or make us work for His love and salvation. There is none other like Him!
“What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
Our prayer is that we continue to lean into God and trust in Him to provide us with whatever we need. We ask for Him to daily fill up the treasury of our hearts with His goodness and mercy, so that we can share His good fruit with the rest of the world.