Grin And Bear It

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (26) Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (KJV)

While some religious groups and organizations limit being fruitful to just the flesh, thinking that they have to have large families, being fruitful in the spiritual realm is what will be truly pleasing to our heavenly Father. It takes a healthy tree that is nourished on a daily basis to bring forth and bear this fruit, while anything else will leave one dried up and withering.

Psalms 1:1-4 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (4) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (KJV)

What kind of farmer would you be if all your crops were dried up and withering away? You wouldn’t last very long before you went out of business, because somewhere along the line you got some bad counsel that obviously wasn’t of the Lord. Unless one becomes rooted and grounded in the truth, planted and nourished with living waters from the river of life, you won’t last long in the realm of the Spirit either but will dry up and wither away, eventually to be burned. There are a lot of cheap imitations out there, those that claim they are of God but actually not rooted and established in sound doctrine, but rather holding more to man’s outward interpretations of what should be words that bring spirit and life to the believer. You may not realize it at the time or even in some cases are not that concerned about it, but eventually it is going to manifest what source you have become attached to or rooted in; which is either going to be fertile or sterile ground.

John 15:1-3 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (3) Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (KJV)

Williams New Testament translation of John 15:1-3
1. "I am the real vine, and my Father is the cultivator. 2. He cuts away any branch on me that stops bearing fruit, and He repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more. 3. You are already pruned because of the teaching that I have given you.

You know, some of that stuff you keep hanging onto or those so called godly counselors you think are bringing you life are actually pulling you down, not building you up. Rather than letting the Lord have His way, and pruning you the way He sees fit, you end up throwing a fit and are no longer fit for His kingdom. You have a choice in the matter, because one way or another something is going to get cut off, either the dead things in your life or your place in the kingdom of God and the body of Christ, so which will it be? You have been grafted into the tree of life, that being Christ the one true real vine, so as long as you continue rooted and grounded in Him you too will be the real deal as well.

John 15:4-6 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (KJV)

Williams New Testament translation of John 15:4-6
4. You must remain in union with me and I will remain in union with you. Just as no branch by itself can bear fruit unless it remains united to the vine, so you cannot unless you remain in union with me. 5. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in union with me and I in union with him will bear abundant fruit, because you cannot do anything cut off from union with me. 6. If anyone does not remain in union with me, he is thrown away as a mere branch and is dried up; then it is picked up and thrown into the fire and burned up.

You know, you really have to put on some spiritual blinders to think that this one and done doctrine, this once saved always saved stuff flies with our Lord. Oh there will be plenty of flies, but we all know what attracts flies don’t we? Oh you can get saved and walk with our Lord, but don’t think for one moment that you can’t walk away either; sometimes without the person even aware it happened. Without Him, without knowing who Christ the one true vine is for yourself you can do nothing, notta, zip, zilch, ain’t happening, period. Keep in mind folks, that in the end when someone is gathered and cast into the fire it is on the opposite side of heaven and not the one they should have inherited. You as a child of God are responsible for bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and not just on certain days or during certain periods of time when people say they are holy or special, but being in season, ready to give an answer to any one that would ask of the hope within you.

John 15:7-8 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (8) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (KJV)

Williams New Testament translation of John 15:7-8
7. If you remain in union with me and my words remain in you, you may ask whatever you please and you shall have it. 8. By your continuously bearing abundant fruit and in this way proving yourselves to be real disciples of mine, my Father is glorified.

Whose words really have the most influence on you today? Are they words of life that remain a part of you, or is it something you have departed from? Out of your belly, or heart, should be flowing rivers of living waters bringing life to those around you, because you have remained rooted and grounded in truth, the one true vine that you have become a partaker of. If you truly desire to honor, or worship the Father, which is what the definition of the word glorified means, then for today stay planted and firm in His word bearing much of His fruit letting Him increase as you decrease.

God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.