promise

Our Lord is great. He is bigger than any problem or struggle you have. He is the One who catches you, not permitting those who belong to Him to slip and fall. This old hymn of the church says it all, “WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS.”

Remember the Lord hears you calling out to Him. He hears you when you cry out, and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Written By Joseph M. Scriven In 1855

Copyright Status Is Public Domain

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,

Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged—

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful,

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,

Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised

Thou wilt all our burdens bear;

May we ever, Lord, be bringing

All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded,

There will be no need for prayer—

Rapture, praise, and endless worship

Will be our sweet portion there.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'” -Matthew 11:28-30NLT

On the property of the house I grew up in, there was a Crabapple Tree, and I despised the tree. As a kid, I blamed the tree for the miserable apples it produced, giving me the displeasure of having to pick up all the apples falling from it onto the ground. I hated picking up those apples, and I most often could be heard shouting, “I hate this!” and “Stupid apples!”

I braced myself before I started that chore, put a plastic sandwich bag on my hand because of how rotten they were, and then I would begin. It was the worst chore, but I had only two options to go outside and complete my chore OR be grounded. I chose to complete my chore. All I wanted was for the Crabapple Tree to work with me. I wasn’t asking for a lot when I shouted at the tree, “Work with me! Not against me.”

It was an absolutely beautiful tree, but the fruit was rotten.

WHAT KIND OF TREE ARE YOU?

Are you a good tree producing good fruit, or are you a bad tree, like the Crabapple Tree in this story, producing rotten fruit?

Jesus had this to say in Luke 6:43-45, “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” -John 15:16

As a child of God, you are chosen by Jesus to go forth and bear much fruit. How you conduct yourself is very important because unbelievers are watching you especially if you are witnessing to them about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Some will try to push you to the edge to see how you will react, and so there must be a noticeable difference between you and those who are unbelievers. Your conduct and your speech must line up together. If the unbeliever cannot tell the difference between you and them, then there is a problem. All of us are to be lights in this dark world. If you live like the world while claiming to be a child of God, you are fooling yourself and still living in darkness (1 John 1:1-8).

In 1 Samuel 9:2, King Saul is described as handsome. God, however, saw King Saul’s heart. King Saul did not do the will of God, bearing the fruits of disobedience and being more concerned about the approval of man.

God tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

And God is still telling us the same thing today. God wants us to do His will, and when we do His will out of obedience and devotion to Him, we are producing good fruit. When we spend time in prayer, the Holy Spirit is working in us, convicting us, changing us. When we conform our will to the Lord’s will, we will produce good fruit. The only reason we are able to bear the fruit God wants us to bear is because of His grace and His mercy, and as His Holy Spirit guides and leads us into His Truth, we bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.

What fruit are you bearing? Are your actions and your words lining up together? Are you walking the walk and not just talking the talk? Is there a noticeable difference between you and the unbeliever?

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Much Love To You All,

L.A. Knowles

No Slipping And No Falling

The Horrible Crabapple Tree, Plastic Sandwich Bag, & Disgruntled Me

promise

Share this:

Share this: