Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4 niv
Have you seen the commercial with the slogan, “What’s in your wallet?” That campaign has been so successful that the credit card has vaulted into one of the most recognized in America, with a 95 percent national awareness among consumers in some surveys.
Are you recognized as a Christian 95% of the time?
Sometimes I think of my Christian life as a basket. I’ve watched a basket weaver on one of the shopping channels. He takes long wooden slats and weaves them together for a beautiful wooden basket. The container of my life is woven together with faith and works. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior by faith.
“…the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” –
Romans 10:8-9 niv
Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees to ‘produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8 niv) I’m not saved by my works, but the fruit of the Spirit will be a natural result of my identification with Christ. Others cannot see your faith. They do see your works.
According to the apostle Paul, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Are these fruits present in your life? Do you carry these fruits as a result of faith and works woven together in your life?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for saving me. I pray my faith will be evident in my life. Help me to be a fruity Christian. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
8 comments:
I think there are people chosen by God to help lead the rest of us home to HIM. You are one of those people. You continue to amaze me with your analogies, always sending me away with spiritual food for thought. Several times during the day I stop and think about what I've read here. I am so grateful to have you as a spiritual mentor Donna.
Queen Jaw Jaw
http://www.queenjawjaw.com
The Queen of Experiences
Ahh...I see you paid attention in the Sunday morning service. The "fruity Christian" gave it away! Like you, I also hope my fruitiness shows!
My main goals in life are to serve God & help bring others to Him. Some days I feel more successful than others, but I suppose that's only human. Keep the faith!
"just me again"
Hmm...it's kind of like the age-old question. Which came first? The egg or the chicken. I discussed my 'basket' analogy with the pastor this past week. *g*
Donna - aka Fruitbasket (I hope!)
Donna, the devotional is great and your site looks wonderful! Way to grow, girl!
Sandra Perry
http://pages.ivillage.com/sandyp99
http://singingscribe.forwriters.org
Just me again...you mean HE used YOUR idea & beat you to the punch?? He's getting the credit you deserve??
Well, I suppose since Don took his sermon, and I based my devotional on Scripture, we neither one can take 'credit' - although he did say the other night that he gives me all my ideas. *g*
I woke up one morning with the idea of a woven basket on my heart, and shared it with him. But unless I missed something, he preached about the fruit of the Spirit, and didn't mention a basket - at least not yet! :)
Donna, i just found your site and I will be coming back to read more often. Keep up the good bloging!
I think what you are telling me is that, if I keep in mind that the Master Weaver has His hand on me, I won't be a basket case. Is that right? :)
Ellen
Post a Comment