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Be Not Fruitless or Barren - part 2 of 3 (Amplified Bible) In whatever areas we refuse the pruning necessary for abundant and eternal fruit, our desire for self-preservation renders us fruitless and barren for the Kingdom of God. Spiritual barrenness results from such causes as (1) refusal to submit to God’s will in thought or deed; (2) refusal to be at peace with one’s self, others, and God; and (3) by refusal to maintain a mind and heart focused on the God who offers us peace in the midst of the whirlwind. By the fruit of our lips we reveal our acceptance or rejection of the Lord’s sovereignty over our life and our yieldedness to His working in us that He might work through us. Once we transfer the responsibility of producing godly fruit from Him to us, only artificial and lifeless manifestations remain. Just as “The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life” {Pro 11:30a} so is death the fruit of any tree (person) outside of righteousness (Christ). Since only the Spirit of life through Christ can produce eternal and righteous fruit, He alone is the only source (Seed) from which true righteousness flows. How worthless the best of men’s self-effort: “… all our righteousness --our best deeds of rightness and justice – are as filthy rags or a polluted garment …our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God’s favor, hurrying us to destruction]” {Is 64:6}. By trusting in their lineage from Abraham, the Jews transferred their faith from Jehovah God to their historical lineage and tradition of faith. Matthew urges them: “Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance – let your lives prove your change of heart; And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our forefather…” {Matt 3:8-9}. Sadly, the same disastrous transfer is possible even with our service, even our worship for the Lord, that which becomes routine rather than our heart-expression of His divine worth-ship. As we prepare to receive the former and latter rain, may we experience the fulfillment of God’s promise in Lev 26:9-10:“For I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you, rendering you fruitful, multiplying you, and establishing and ratifying My covenant with you. And you shall eat the [abundant] old store of produce long kept, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new.” May we also heed the admonition in Jesus’ parable about the barren fig tree. For three years a landowner had “come looking for fruit” {Luke 13: 7} on a specific fig tree, but found none. Only the intercession of the vinedresser stood between the owner’s command that it be cut down and the tree’s destruction: “But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil]; Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this, but if not, you can cut it down and out” {vs 8-9}. How many potential trees of righteousness await our fourth year intercession? -Ruth French February Newsletter 2004 | Forgiveness | Test of Perseverance part 2 of 2 | Pastor's Journal February 2003 Holding Truth in Humility | Keep Moving Forward | Be Not Fruitless or Barren Part 2 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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