Good morning friends! Have a wonderful summer day, and enjoy the presence of our wonderful Savior. Let us shout and sing His praises for His goodness and faithfulness. Excerpts from Psalm 84 - How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Lord, our hearts cry out to know you better. We hunger and thirst for you, and we crave to be in your presence. We need a new filling of your Holy Spirit. Let your great love be shed abroad in our hearts. You have done so much for us, and we desire to delight your heart in all that we do and say. Transform us by the renewing of our minds, and set our affections, our focus, on things above, and not on the things of this world. Use us to be and encouragement to others, and help our lives to point others to the love of Jesus. AMEN! Matthew 21:18-22 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” This passage of scripture is also in Mark 11, and has a number of lessons we can learn from. The fig tree was harvested right after Passover, and this was about five days before then. The tree should have had fruit on it, but when Jesus found it, it had nothing but leaves. This fig tree was a good picture of Israel. Adam Clarke, in his commentary notes the following - It was a proper time for them to have borne fruit: Jesus had been preaching the doctrine of repentance and salvation among them for more than three years; the choicest influences of Heaven had descended upon them; and every thing was done in this vineyard that ought to be done, in order to make it fruitful. The time was now at hand in which God would require fruit, good fruit; and, if it did not produce such, the tree should be hewn down by the Roman axe. Jesus cursed the fig tree, that it would bear fruit no more. This is exactly what happened to the Jewish nation. Their time of fruit-bearing was over, and the gospel was preached to the Gentiles, where it bore much fruit. The nation of Israel was ultimately destroyed in 70 AD, fulfilling the judgment of God on the Jewish nation. How about us? When Jesus sees our lives, are they bringing forth much fruit? Are we abiding in the vine, so that His life flows through us, enabling the fruit to grow? Or are we doing things in our own flesh, things that look nice on the outside, that reflect well on us, but does not bring forth fruit? Let us examine our own lives, and not that of our brother or sister. We need to stay connected to Jesus, His divine life flowing through us, or we will also not bear fruit. The other lesson is about believing that we will receive what we ask for when we pray. If we have a loving relationship with Jesus, we will be able to trust Him. Trust comes only from spending time with someone, and developing a loving relationship with them. This is what Jesus wants each of us to have with Him. When we put all our trust in Him, we believe He will do as He promised. Let us run to Jesus, and get to know Him better each day. Let us get immersed in His divine life, walking in His presence and having a loving relationship with Him. As we stay connected to Him, our lives will bring forth much fruit. We will have confidence in prayer, and be able to trust Jesus for every need, every circumstance, every situation. Lord, we need to know you better this day. Come and make your home in our hearts, and let your divine life flow though us, so that we bring forth fruit, and so that we are so much in love with you, that we can simply trust you in every situation and circumstance. Make us more and more like yourself, and use us to bring honor and glory to your name. AMEN! Walk with the King today, and be a blessing! I leave you with the hymn, Living For Jesus. Living for Jesus, a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessing for me. Refrain O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me. I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne. My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone. Living for Jesus Who died in my place, Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace; Such love constrains me to answer His call, Follow His leading and give Him my all. Living for Jesus, wherever I am, Doing each duty in His holy Name; Willing to suffer affliction and loss, Deeming each trial a part of my cross. Living for Jesus through earth’s little while, My dearest treasure, the light of His smile; Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 10:58:31 +0000
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