Devotionals

Intro:   When I was a child, I spent a great deal of time enjoying puzzles—I enjoyed seeing a picture develop one piece at a time.  One of my favorite types of puzzles was connect-the-dots.  Perhaps you remember them.  It was basically line art using ascending numbered dots.  When the line accurately connected all the dots, a fairly complex picture would emerged.  If the numbered dots were not followed accurately, a distorted image would appear.

Did you know faith was imparted so you and I could connect the dots of Truth given so beautifully in Scripture?  We need the wisdom of God and when connected with faith it brings revelation—the unveiling of Truth—to guard against a distorted picture of God in whose image we were made [Gen 1:27]. Scripture is the self-revelation of Creator God to his creation.  God wants us to know who He is so we grow in our understanding of who we are in Christ.  The Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures do a great job of offering ascending dots of Truth and when connected an overwhelming and miraculous image of God and his loving character begins to rise up in the core of our being.

In his letters to early believers, the Apostle Paul does a great job of connecting some Old Testament and New Testament faith “dots” for the Bride of Christ [Church] regarding God’s two covenants.  He uses allegory to show the deeper meaning by contrasting two women: an enslaved bride [under the law—Hagar] and a free bride [in Christ—Sarah].  Paul reminds the churches in Galatia that believers are not made righteous by the law, but by obedience to Christ—the Living Word of God.  

God so loved the world that he gave his Son… (Jo 3:16). In his first advent, Love came down—Christ came to die in order to set us free from sin and make us right with the Father.  Now, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us grow up in the nature of Christ—empowered to produce the righteous fruit of God. We do not have to follow our sinful flesh; we are free to follow the Spirit.  So, allow the tremendous love of God to help you mature and produce the nature of Christ in and through you.  As we grow up in Christ—children of the promise—we begin to live in a way that fulfills the purpose of the law—Agape LOVE!

Galatians 4:21-5:1 NLT Abraham’s Two Children

21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
    you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
    you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
    than the woman who lives with her husband!”

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

Freedom in Christ

5:1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for being the Way to Truth and Life.  During this Christmas season, help us, as children of the promise, to obey Your commands of love.  Thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us into righteous fruit production.  Then, others around us will have an accurate image of you.   In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Today’s passage is Hannah’s prayer to the Lord which is found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. As a reminder, Hannah’s song of praise is in response to the Lord’s answer to her many prayers for a child, and her prayer contains great prophetic messianic significance.

Earlier this week, during Bible study, Pastor Mary brought us through Luke 1. When we arrived at “The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise” (v. 46-56), I was overwhelmed by the similarities between Mary and Hannah’s Songs of Praise and their circumstances.

Both, Hannah and Mary, experienced miraculous ways of conception, each mother dedicated their son to the Lord, their sons dedicated their lives to God (even though One is God Incarnate), both women were faithful in their response to the Lord’s blessing in being a vital part of bringing Samuel and Jesus into this world; and thus, we are able to witness God’s purpose and plan revealed through Hannah and Mary.

Some people do not believe that motherhood is as important as other roles. Like, Esther saved God’s people and Deborah was a leader of God’s people, while Hannah and Mary were “simply” mothers. But these two women raised up children who were prepared by their influence to serve God and in doing so their sons fulfilled their divine role in God’s plan to liberate His people.

What can you and I learn from Hannah and Mary? There is so much, but we can start by recognizing that they were both willing servants of God, and we need are called to do the same. Also, as a result of their faithful hearts God blessed them, and He wants to bless us. God was also able to use Hannah and Mary to further His Kingdom, which is what you and I can only pray He is able to do with each of us.

1 Samuel 2:1-10 (NLT)
Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.

2 No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.

4 The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.

5 Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.

6 The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.

7 The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.

8 He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.

9 “He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.

10 Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.

He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength of his anointed one.”

Prayer: Jesus, please help us to be more faithful and to have servant hearts like Hannah and Mary. Please guide us with Your wisdom and grow us in our hope, peace, joy, and love so that we can have confident trust in Your call on our lives to serve the Kingdom. We ask all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: As we continue on in Paul’s letter to the Galatians from yesterday, let’s reaffirm that God’s purpose for the law in the lives of his children has been fulfilled in Christ. We cannot be saved by obeying the law of Moses because human flesh cannot fulfill it; salvation comes only by connecting to Christ and obeying him. However, in obeying and following Christ, we will choose to live righteously by loving God wholeheartedly [with every aspect of our being], as well as loving our neighbors [everyone else] and ourselves in a righteous way. Christ is our plumb line for righteousness, so we are following in oneness with Christ, because he is One with Father God.

In our passage today, we understand God’s timing has always been amazing and at just the right time the Father sent the Son in his first advent to fulfill all righteousness [the law] (Mat 3:13-15). Now, in Christ’s righteousness, believers are God’s adopted children (Ro 8:15-17). Our relationship with God is like a child with a parent; we are learning how to outwardly put on and live in Christ’s righteousness—with the help of the Holy Spirit—so we can please the Father. Paul had to correct the early Galatian believers many times about trying to please God by relying on the law instead of resting [by faith] in grace and truth—God’s work to offer redemption to humanity is now complete.

Jesus is our rest [Heb. “shabbat”—we stop working to make ourselves righteous], because Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath [fulfills the spiritual intent and divine purpose of rest]. Jesus is the One who settles us [Heb. “nuakh” Christ becomes our abiding place] and makes us holy! Christ gives the law its true meaning and makes it relevant for our lives (Mat 7:28-29). 

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes believers way beyond a mere act [of physical rest] to the motive of the heart [rest and abiding trust in the truth]. We are ordained to live in the holiness of Christ—to let our light shine—every single day. Jesus said, “My Father has entrusted everything to me…Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest [refreshment]. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest [cessation of your works] for your souls (Mat 11:27-29). The purpose of the Sabbath is about enjoying Oneness or wholeness with God.  During worship, we come together to rest from the world, express our wholehearted love to God and rest in our devotion to him, celebrate all Christ has done for us through his merciful redemption, and grow in our understanding from the Word about how we extend love and mercy to the world who has no idea about the goodness of God to provide redemption and a dwelling place for humanity. Tell someone the Good News with great Joy, today! (Luke 2:10).

Galatians 4:1-7 NLT

1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Prayer:  Abba, thank you for always revealing to our hearts the truth of your intent for our lives.  We do not have to guess about how or when you want us to worship; we find our rest in your presence every day.  Everything you put into place is for our good, because you are preparing us for an eternity of righteousness and worship. Every day we will cling to our Sabbath Rest!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Intro:  In my prayer time yesterday, my conversation with God included, “Lord, I am so grateful and joyful for your righteousness, but please continue to grow me in faith!” Faith is the substance of things we hope for and the evidence of things not yet seen (Heb 11:1).  The reason for that prayer is because I believe [in Christ] I have received great promises from God and I want to have the faith to use every blessing for the growth of his Kingdom. I want to see people experience the salvation Jesus truly offers—a vibrant and eternal relationship with our Creator!  Scripture teaches abundant life—one filled with God’s blessings—comes by believing; faith in Christ [putting on Christ’s righteousness] is the only way to have a right relationship with God (Eph 4:24). When we stand in that place of faith in Christ and obedience to his will, we can ask for God’s provision in prayer and receive (Mat 21:22).

For the believer, joy is the residue of the first AND second advent of Christ because Jesus is the joy of our salvation.  We joyfully accept and receive him as the righteous Lamb who gave his life for the sins of the world.  We joyfully look for his return one day as the Lion who will rule the world in righteousness.  We believe in the work of Christ and put him on as our new identity.  Therefore, faith in Christ [who fulfilled the law’s purpose] is essential and when we truly understand the tremendous and liberating blessing of life with Christ we will serve and obey God’s commands of love while being joyfully led by the Holy Spirit (Mat 5:17-18).

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul seeks to drive the truth home to the Galatians about faith in Christ who was the perfect law-abiding descendant of Abraham; Christ makes all believers heirs to God’s promises. We all must come to Christ; therefore, we all receive God’s promises in the same exact way.  Believers are all being made anew in Christ’s image as his empowered descendants of faith (Gen 1:27; Eph 2:14-18; Col 2:6-7). 

Galatians 3:23-29 NLT God’s Children through Faith

23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for making us your sons and daughters of faith.  May we grow in the substance of faith and operate in your eternal promises each day.  Help us to produce the joy of our salvation. The world needs to see and experience the power outflowing your resurrection.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Intro:  Sometimes the holidays—for a variety of reasons—leave people feeling lonely, discouraged, or even empty.  It is understandable, because life can change in a moment and sometimes we are simply not prepared for how that change will affect us. I’m thinking right now about some of our neighbors on the southwestern coast of Florida who lost jobs, homes, and even loved ones when hurricane Ian made landfall on September 28, 2022.  For many, they may be longing for the holiday celebrations they enjoyed in the past.

In our passage today, the psalmist longs to go to Jerusalem and worship.  He longs to celebrate the nation’s God-given holidays and festivals in the temple; however, that is quite impossible because Israel is in exile.  The psalmist and the people long for the festival celebrations they enjoyed in the past.

This week we are learning more about the power of inward joy—a fruit produced by the Holy Spirit.  Joy is an amazing gift from God, because it is not based on outward circumstances.  Joy is rooted in a person’s relationship with God.  The joy of the Lord is strong and is able to withstand and recover quickly from difficult situations.  Joy is experienced when we believe the truth that God will make all things work together for our good when we love him and are called according to his purpose (Ro 8:28).  So, no matter what we face in this temporal life—things we can’t control or even the consequences of our own sinful choices—God is faithful.  Put your hope and trust in the Lord, because he is your Savior.  Let his joy fill you.

Psalm 42:1-5 NLT

1 

As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.

2 

I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?

3 

Day and night I have only tears for food,
    while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

4 

My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

5 

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and 6 my God!

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for making your presence available to us.  In your presence, we find the fulness of joy.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

December 13, 2022

Intro: The first advent of Jesus set into motion what Scripture calls “the last times.” Jesus came as a baby in a manger and he lived his life as the humble and suffering Servant mentioned in Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah (Isa 7:14; Ch 53). Yet, we must also remember not all of the prophecies regarding Jesus have been fulfilled; more revelation will be coming (Luke 22:37). According to prophecy, the second advent of Jesus will be when he returns with the armies of heaven to rule the nations (Rev 19:11-16).  

Truth is always under attack; therefore, the Church must remain vigilant and faithful. Preceding our passage for today, Jude—the brother of Jesus—condemns false teachers and their heresy. These teachers distort the Scriptures in order to serve their own desires. Jude proclaims the Holy Spirit is simply not in them (v.19). These leaders teach Christians they may live any way they want and still be free from God’s punishment. Jude warns the Church not to reject the lordship of Christ.  

False teachers seek to stir doubts in believers. They basically use the same line Satan used in the Garden with Eve, “Did God really say…?” If believers are not careful, they will discard the righteous commands of God and wander into deception. Jesus said, “When you obey my Father’s commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11). So be filled with the Holy Spirit and let the joy of your salvation fill you, today. As we follow God’s commands, we are held in God’s love!

Jude 17-25 A Call to Remain Faithful

17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.



22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

If you joined us for worship yesterday, you may recall that Pastor Mary talked about how as believers we have a dynamic power, the Holy Spirit, working inside of us. She reminded us, that as God’s people, we have no clue just how powerful this dunamis (which is a Greek philosophical concept meaning power, potential, or ability) Spirit, that lives inside of us, truly is at any given moment. When we are operating in oneness with the Holy Spirit, no matter what is going on, we can stay in the abiding presence of Almighty God, and in His presence is the fulness of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)

In today’s passage, Luke reminds us of just how powerful the Holy Spirit is and how it operated through the Apostles as they were performing many miraculous signs and wonders. We see that God’s people, the believers, were meeting regularly; yet no one dared to join them, but at the same time, more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord, crowds of both men and women (v.12-14). Regardless, of who didn’t dare join to them or why, because there are many theories, the Apostles were still “among the people” while “all the believers were meeting regularly” (v.12), it was through their evangelistic Spirit that “more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord” (v.13), and “crowds came from the villages…and they were all healed” (v.16). It’s amazing that we contain this same Holy Spirit within us.

So, we are all called to evangelism, or to share Jesus with others, and we all do it in different ways. The key is that each of us share the love of Jesus, and the miraculous gift of His Holy Spirit, that we are given through salvation.

One day a lady criticized D.L. Moody, the American evangelist and founder of Moddy Bible Institute, for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody’s reply was, “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” The lady replied, “I don’t do it.” Moody retorted, “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

Acts 5:12-16 (NLT)
The Apostles Heal Many

12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Please help us to be more aware of this gift each day, and especially as we are sharing Your message of love with others. We ask for the fruit of Your Spirit to grow more and more within us each day. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: I am always blessed to see God’s family reach out when others around them are in need. This is reflective of a life led by the Spirit; the Lord will always respond compassionately when others are suffering in distress and lack. God cares about the wholeness of every person, not just the spiritual well-being. The Lord heals all our brokenness.

Many people think about peace as merely the absence of conflict. However, the biblical meaning of the word “shalom” is much, much more—it means universal flourishing or wholeness. Christ is the liberating King who connects us in the restoring wholeness or shalom of God—Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

Yesterday, we held onto our desire for peace as we reached for God our Helper. When our lives are built upon Christ’s love and Word, he promises to hold us in his care. This is such Good News, because the unredeemed world does not share God’s values, nor does it have a genuine love for people; it simply wants power. The government on Christ’s shoulders [under his authority] is governed completely different (Is 9:6). I pray for the kingdom of the world to become the kingdom of our Lord (Rev 11:15).

In our passage today, the psalmist continues to share how God cares for his children with a goal to restore wholeness. Believers desire spiritual wholeness first and foremost, because from that proper foundation we open the door for the shalom of God to come in and mend all that is broken and supply all that is lacking. As human beings, if we would just get our spiritual lives fixed upon Christ, we would be building a life that can withstand any kind of storm [and there are plenty of them circulating around us]. For believers, we have the opportunity to help people see their greatest need as making Jesus the Savior in their lives, because then they will see and know the Truth. Be Christ’s ambassador of peace, today.

Psalm 146:7-10 NLT
7 
He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
8 
    The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
9 
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 
The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O Jerusalem, [Zion] throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the justice in which you govern your kingdom. You provide a path toward restoration through your amazing shalom. Please continue to help us see the truth, lift our burdens, and feed our souls in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: If we are going to remain in the supernatural peace [Heb. shalom/Gk. eirene] of God, we will need to respect God’s guidance about where we place our trust and confidence. We do not trust everyone; sadly, not everyone is trustworthy. If we foolishly build our confidence [and lives] upon what people can do for us, we will be unsettled and distraught most of the time. The biblical definition of trust is an action based on the bold confidence we have in someone or something. Therefore, believers wisely place their complete trust in the loyalty, truth, ability, and strength of Almighty God.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us about the connection between trust and peace, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed upon you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal rock” (Isaiah 26:3-4). We all need stability in our lives, so making Christ our foundation of peace is the place to start, because he alone can bear our load (Mat 11:28-30).

In our passage today, the psalmist sings praises to God for his divine help. Human beings can never save us, so we cannot place our trust in the fallible and have peace. Rather, real peace is found in the infallible love of God who because of the OT covenant he has made with Abraham and the NT covenant Jesus affirms with his followers, he will always be there in our times of need. The enemy comes each day to knock us off our foundation and shake our faith in the Lord’s care. However, keep your thoughts fixed on the Lord, because God is our Helper (Ps 121:1-2). The enemy must bow to the power of Christ. Peace be with you, today!

Psalm 146:5-6 NLT
5
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being our Helper. You are always there for me, so I trust you completely. Help all your children abide with you in peace, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: This week we are walking through Scripture with the righteous fruit of peace on our minds. In a world that is always producing diverse perspectives on right and wrong, truth and lies, good and evil, belief and unbelief we must decide how we are going to respond to this fruit salad! Peace comes as we draw near to God. Our perspective and decisions about these issues must always be built on the foundation of Christ and obedience to him. Our response must be righteous.
It is easier to deal with the bad fruit production of strangers than trying to sort through the good and bad fruit production in our inner circle of family, friends, and neighbors. Nonetheless, we must continue on with Jesus. We will find greater victory as we identify the fruit; knowledge with understanding comes from God.

Jesus is all about the heart; so, let’s face it he is always going to get to the heart of the matter. If we are not walking “with” Jesus, we are opposing him. It really is that simple. If negative or nasty comments and immoral living is manifesting in our lives, it is because the desire for it lives in our hearts. If we have a rebellious problem in the heart, no amount of self-discipline is going to fix it. Only Jesus can fix and redeem our ungodly attitudes, desires, and motives.

In our passage today, Jesus calls out the Pharisees, because their evil hearts are directing their mouths. These religious leaders have such hardened hearts, they are literally rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit who desires to help them repent, receive forgiveness, and be restored to God. Jesus wants to bring healing to the heart. If we are connected in obedience to Christ, we are connected to the Tree of Life and our fruit will be good. If we are trying to connect to a worldly idea/action thinking our disobedience to Christ doesn’t matter, we are actually connected to a corrupt tree and will bear evil fruit (Mat 7:18).

We are not to judge people, but let’s be real…you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions (Mat 7:20). Lastly, what we say flows from what is in our hearts (Luke 6:45). Don’t let someone producing evil fruit rob your peace. Love them, pray for them, but do not let them steal your treasure.

Matthew 12:33-37 NLT 33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 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. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sharing the wisdom your children need about the connection of the heart to righteous or unrighteous fruit production. Create in us clean hearts. Holy Spirit, please empower us to walk in obedience to the Word, so the fruit we bear through our words and actions will please you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.