Are you being fruitful today? Consider this inspirational story about fruits and roots.
A farmer once planted two fruit trees on opposite sides of his property. The one he planted to provide a hedge to hide the unsightly view of an old landfill; the other to provide shade to rest under near a cool mountain stream which ran down beside his fields. As the two trees grew, both began to flower and bear fruit.
One day the farmer decided to gather the fruit from the tree nearest his house, the one used to provide a hedge from the landfill. As he brought the fruit inside the house, he noticed that it was a little deformed – the symmetry of the fruit was not very good – but the fruit looked edible.
Later that evening, while sitting on his porch, the farmer took one of the pieces of fruit for a snack. Biting into the fruit, he found it to be extremely bitter, completely inedible. Casting the fruit aside he looked across the field to the other tree over by the mountain stream. After walking across the field, the farmer took a piece of the fruit and bit into it. Finding the fruit to be sweet and delicious, he gathered several more pieces of fruit and took them to the house.
The fruit was greatly affected by the nutrition of the root. Just as the tree growing by the landfill was bitter and the tree by the stream produced sweet fruit, so the Christian has a choice. He or she can either put down their roots into the soil of the landfill of fleshly pursuits, or into the cool refreshing stream of the person of Jesus Christ. We must understand that the root bears the fruit. The fruit of the Christian is the outward evidence of the inward motivation.
What kind of spiritual fruit are you growing? The answer is two-fold: #1 in your life and #2 the people you are influencing for Jesus.
Regarding #1, are you becoming more like Jesus? Is your life evidencing the Fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-25? Or are you still living according to the works of the flesh described in Galatians 5:19-21? May our lives be filled with love, joy, peace and more rather than full of bitterness, unforgiveness, anger and such! Hopefully, you are more like Jesus today than you were yesterday, and less than you will be tomorrow.
Regarding #2, are you bringing people to Jesus? As you become more and more like Jesus, people begin to notice the positive changes they see in your life. Jesus instructs you to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We are called to be proclaimers of the Good News of salvation and ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20). Right before He returned to heaven, Jesus instructed His followers to be filled with the Holy Spirit because that experience would transform their lives, making them to become witnesses: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Do we need to travel to the Middle East to fulfill His instruction? No, our assignment is Honolulu, the state of Hawaii, the mainland and the ends of the earth.
Last Sunday we celebrated the difference we are making for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, both near and far, through our missionary partners. Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much) for your generosity in giving to world missions! (To give to missions, please click on the yellow "donate" button at the bottom of this page.) Be willing also to personally share the Good News with those who are near: your family, neighbors, friends, coworkers and more. Be a witness for Jesus each day both with your life and with your words. May you bear much good fruit for His glory!
This Sunday, August 7, we will rejoice in the glorious truth that we have been “Chosen to be Fruitful”! Be always plugged into the Vine, Jesus, and you will bear much good fruit (John 15:8), both in your life and in your witness. Please invite someone to join you at 10:35am in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream every Sunday to both locations.
Coming Up: This Saturday, August 6, is our next Drive-Thru Prayer outreach in the parking lot (1-3pm). Roneel Chaudhary with Hawaii Chi Alpha, our AG ministry to university students, will be here on Sunday, August 28.
Aloha ke Akua!