Today's Devotions

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Showcase: Assorted Treats

  • Christ's Paradigm: a movie review of Luther +

    Luther, 2003. Powerfully presents     the way that Christ can work to transform individuals who are willing to conform Read More
  • Best of EM Bounds on Prayer +

    This is a compilation of some of the writings by E.M. Bounds. I've read a fair amount of books on Read More
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SylviaListen to God's purposed fruitfulness for you in John 15:16. "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last."

Beloved one, your Father chose you and appointed you to bear the fruit of the nature of his Son in you. The more you abide in him, the more fruit you will bear. His Spirit is working in you his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Do not be discouraged when you feel that the fruit of your life is barrenness or ugliness. Jesus is the seed of God planted within you. God prunes, feeds, and nurtures you to your full potential of the beautiful fruit of the Spirit and all the full qualities of himself in you. You do not produce this fruit alone; he does. Rest in his nature and his power to live through you. He is the Fruit of the Spirit. Every good and perfect fruit is him living his life in you.

Receive this truth in 2 Peter 1:3-4. "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

You already have within you everything you need to bear the fruit that remains. In him you can choose to step into those inner qualities commanded in 2 Peter 1:5-7. "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." All these are spirit qualities that the Spirit of Christ Jesus works in you with your obedience. And you have God's promise that you are blessed if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, because they will keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:8).

Be blessed as you let your Vinedresser take you through the process to be fruitful. God is tender to give the right amount of sun and rain for the branch that you are. He must fertilize, tend the soil, and prune you for maximum fruitfulness. Be blessed with fruitfulness in his determined and appointed place and time for you. Be blessed in your unique identity, legitimacy, authority, anointing, and birthright in the Spirit of liberty, for with him there is full freedom and fruitfulness. "The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Eph. 5:9). That's the harvest of the nature of Jesus in you.

Paul poured out his heart for his friends in prayer in Philippians 1:11 that they would bear the fruit of their salvation. Hear him praying this for you. "[I pray that you will be] filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." He prays in Colossians 1:10. "[I pray that you will] lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Receive this promise in Psalm 92:12-15. "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The LORD is upright; he is my Rock.' "

Be blessed in the Lord,
in whom you flourish and bear fruit even to old age.
(Ps. 92:14).

Reflections to Consider

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Publications

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Music

  • River of Love

    There's a river of love that runs through all timeBut there's a river of grief that floods through our livesIt Read More
  • I Am Nothing

    I stutter when I tryTo speak the language of lifeI want to shout out loudBut I just cry insideSometimes it Read More
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Audio & Video

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Favorites

  • Transforming this World: The Hope of Glory by NT Wright +

    Wright confronts the perspective that this world doesn’t matter, and that we live only to be in heaven. He shows Read More
  • What is Good in a World that Defies Hope: a talk by NT Wright +

    This is the second part of three talks by NT Wright at Harvard University in November, 2008 on the topic Read More
  • The Stream, the Lake and the River: NT Wright +

      Acts 2.1-21; John 7.37-39; a sermon at the Eucharist on the Feast of Pentecost, 11 May 2008, by the Read More
  • Jesus in the Perfect Storm by NT Wright +

    Zechariah 9.9-17; Luke 19.28-48; A sermon for Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, In the University Chapel of St Salvator, St Read More
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Hidden Blessings

  • Christ is a Great Savior: a review of the movie Amazing Grace +

    Amazing Grace is a historical drama about William Wilberforce who was elected to British Parliament at the age of 21 Read More
  • Wilberforce, Hollywood's Amazing Grace, Charlotte Allen +

    William Wilberforce's relentless campaign eventually led the British Parliament to ban the slave trade, in 1807, and to pass a Read More
  • Making Beauty out of Ugly Things: Grace by U2 +

    Grace, she takes the blame She covers the shame Removes the stain It could be her name Grace, she carries Read More
  • The True Nature of Grace and Love: a movie review of the Soloist +

    The 2009 movie The Soloist is based on a book by the same name, written by Los Angeles Times columnist Read More
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