Trees of Righteousness (Part 1)
Trees of Righteousness, I love that imagery. GOD is wonderful. All through HIS WORD, He gives us images to teach us that we are as trees that we can bear much fruit for HIS glory or we can be fruitless. What a disaster it would be for all the natural fruit trees in the world to stop bearing fruit. The same is said for people, even more so. What a shame that some live their whole lives and never sow to the spirit, never bearing fruit for The LORD. What wasted lives, when I come to the end of my life here on this earth, I want to leave behind a legacy of much fruit. I want to be a Tree of Righteousness standing tall for The Heavenly Father and bearing much fruit for HIS glory and honor…don’t you? If you said yes, here is how we can do just that. :O)
Proverbs 7:2 “Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.
If we are going to be Trees of Righteousness, bearing much fruit, we are going to have to be planted in JESUS. It starts by HIS WORD!
James 1:22 “But be ye doers of The WORD, and not just hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Galatians 6:7-9 “Be not deceived; GOD is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
I. We are known by the fruit we bear.
Matthew 7:15-20 “ 15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit 19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
A. Fruitless
Galatians 5:16-21 “This I say then, Walk in The SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against The SPIRIT, and The SPIRIT against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of The SPIRIT, ye are not under the law. Now the words of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultry, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do things shall not inherit The Kingdom of GOD.”
B. Good Fruit
Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of The SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in The Spirit, let us also walk in The Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Now with those scriptures teaching us, I urge you to ask yourself, Am I bearing fruit, or am I just wasting my life? If you are bearing fruit, then I applaud Christ in you, and I know that you will want to grow and bear even more! However, if you are someone who has been wasting your life on things of the flesh, do not despair, I have good news, you can start to be fruitful!!! Here’s how. :O)
John 3:5-7 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Being born again means that you open your heart to Christ, confessing that you are a sinner and you ask HIM to save you. You surrender your will to HIS and believing that HE is GODS SON, accept HIM into Your heart as LORD and SAVIOR. The WORD of GOD says,
Romans 10:9-13 “ 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
After we receive CHRIST and Salvation, we then begin to live for HIM. He has planted HIS SPIRIT inside us and HE will never leave nor forsake us! Now it’s up to us how deeply embedded we will allow ourselves to get into CHRIST!
Romans 11:16 “For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.”
JESUS said:
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every 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.3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide 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. 5I 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.
6If 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. 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
If we are to have good, strong roots, we are going to have to abide in the vine, JESUS CHRIST! That means sowing to HIS SPIRIT. That means daily sowing seeds of faith, goodness, kindness, love, joy, peace. It means staying in HIS Word, and staying in prayer and dying to self. If we sow to The Spirit, we will reap The SPIRIT! Planting or sowing time is hard, but come harvest time it is JOYFUL!
You may be a dear saint of GOD trying hard to bear fruit, but you feel as if nothing is coming from your efforts. Please know that I understand, and there will be seasons of winter in our lives just as there are in the natural. I have been there.
One winter day I sit out on my porch. I was looking at a large maple tree in our yard, and back in the spring, summer, and fall it had been a beautiful tree green and lush and then in autumn the beautiful colors glistened in the sun on mornings when the dew was on them. However now, it was bare. No leaves. I remember crying because I felt the same way. I was going through a hard time and it seemed like it would last forever. I silently talked to The LORD, and I said, will this tree bloom again? It was just the beginning of winter, and I knew that for that tree, it would get worse. I was really asking about myself too. Would this pass? Would I ever be whole again? Dear one, you may be going through a time of winter, a time of trial, but I have good news. If you stay grounded in GODS Word and on your knees in prayer before HIM, this too shall pass. Let’s review what The Bibles says shall we?
Ephesians 3:13-21 “ 13Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Revelation 22:16 “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”
**A tree may go through a bare winter…cold, desolate, but if those roots are good, she will bloom again! :O)**
JESUS CHRIST is The Root, HE is the vine if we are rooted and grounded in HIM, we will grow and we will bloom again and we will bear MUCH FRUIT for The Glory of GOD! We are made the trees of righteousness, keep your roots embedded deeply in HIM and you will make it through this winter and you will bloom again come spring! Praise The LORD!
Dear, Most Righteous, Heavenly FATHER…
I bow before YOU once again thanking You for Your Word and Your love, and for Your instruction. What would I do without You? I never want to find out! Thank You for helping us to become Trees of Righteousness for Your Honor and Glory. Help us to abide in You and get our strength from You and to bear much fruit all the days of our lives. Please help each and every one that is reading today. Touch their hearts and their lives so that they will surrender to You everyday and be what you would have them to be. Bless each and every home represented. Please save the lost ones and let them know that You love them unconditionally. I love You LORD and I forever will worship YOU, because YOU alone are worthy! In Your name I pray…Thank YOU JESUS…Amen.
~*cindygirl*~
May 24, 2020