Out on a Limb Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:10 NKJV Colossians 1:9-18 NKJV Preeminence of Christ 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood,[c] the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Will Rogers quipped, Youve got to go out on a limb sometimes because thats where the fruit is. Christians often find themselves out on a limb; but wherever we are, were to bear fruit. The New Testament writers used the word fruit in many ways. Hebrews 13:15 talks about the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. James used the word fruit to describe our good works (James 3:17). John the Baptist described our changed behaviors as fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8). In Romans 1:13, Paul used fruit to describe those coming to Christ under his ministry. In Galatians 5:22, he used the same term for the attitudes that characterize mature Christianity: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and so on. In all these cases, we can say the word fruit describes the demonstrative results of Christian maturity. If were growing in Christ, there should be evidence of it. People should see the signs of our Christian faith. The Father is glorified when we bear much fruit. Are you fruitful? A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. Saint Basil
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 01:03:01 +0000
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