God's Way to Real Fruit

Seems like the last few weeks, maybe even more than a few weeks, I’ve wanted to “hear” and rehearse more deeply, the Truth regarding God’s way that produces genuine fruit in our lives.  If real fruit comes from each of our being and lives, there is then, true joy of knowing Christ.

In order to do this, it takes some honest reflection with the Holy Spirit in us.  He was sent to be more than Teacher and Revealer of All Truth.  He is also Wonderful Counselor, Comforter, and the Love that we all so need to know and experience in truth.

Part of the fall and sin that came into this world is characterized by people “copying” or “imitating” things and other people.  The Christian walk was never meant to imitate Jesus Christ by our own efforts.  It surely is something richer and deeper than this.

No one, I mean no one understands the broken man from the fall better than Jesus Christ.  This is one of the reasons we are called into relationship with Him.  First, because He provides Life from death, and then also He goes to work inside of us to save us to the uttermost: Spirit, soul, body.

And this does include our minds/souls, thinking, healing, restoring our souls, strengthening our spirits in Him, changing ALL our thoughts and thought patterns from the lies to the Truth, fellowship with Him, etc.   He gives us His loving, faithful friendship too, but also His Lordship.  He alone is the Savior. 

The Great Salvation provided by God in His Son is indeed, “The Great Salvation.”

I know for sure, that part of the work He had to do in me was pry my “fingers” off of the idea that I had to strive to make myself what I knew intuitively, we should be in Christ. 

For it’s all over the Scriptures – you know, like love one another, be courteous, kind, full of compassion, giving, merciful, be holy and all the like.

Yet how many of us when His glorious attributes did or does not come out of us, hate it or listened to yet more lies from the enemy, “You scoundrel – you can’t even act right – you’ll never get there – others will, but not you!”  Or something like this.

Lie, lie and more lies.

This is where the Holy Spirit crushes our own thinking and ideas of how the Christian life is lived and starts revealing God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ IN us.

Oh my goodness – a far cry from a vessel struggling to be like Jesus Christ VERSUS Himself being just like He said – The Vine bearing fruit through the branch.

I heard this years ago as a youth and my heart really hungered after what again, I knew intuitively had to be true.  For when I looked at me and what was available in me to be that really “good Christian,” a real “holy one,” I could only say, “Oh man, where am I going to scrounge this up?”  I really tried though.

Yes, I tried – because that was how I had been taught.  Come to the altar and dedicate your life to the Lord as a Christian and basically, “try harder.”  Dedicate again and again.  This is not the same as “presenting myself as a living sacrifice” to the Lord.  For now this to me is yes, presenting but ALSO believing that Christ will be life through me each and every day through faith.  I am NOT dependent on me, but HIM!  Yeah!

And I’m not saying that God didn’t love me through all my service years to Him, because I believe I was wholeheartedly sincere. But in looking back, I can see God wanted to show me His way.

Well it took a big crisis in my life years ago.  Sometimes it looks like a trial or a big crisis is going to kill us.  But quite frankly, it is designed to “kill” us in a figurative way.  God means it to get us to seeking Him in a way as though your life depends on it – because it does!

And so seeking I went!  And I discovered only riches – only treasures of what He would have loved to show me way back when.  I think I was getting bits and pieces all along as we all do, but God wants a major paradigm shift just like Paul says until we all know deeply, “Yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”

The natural mind just does not understand these things.  This is why we are called to “Trust Jesus” continually to show us – to guide us, to work in us and He does this through and by the Holy Spirit, and His Words of Life and Truth.

I would like to share more on this line, because I honestly believe there are those out there who do struggle or think or even try to get their human flesh to “pull off the holiness of Jesus.”

It’s a beautiful discovery of Him AND Him in us, that God so desires to do.  He pulls back the curtain like in a play on a stage and the audience gasps with excitement to “see” living movement and animation of the story.

God’s story is not fiction, nor His Word and Spirit.  God’s story is REAL – and it’s ALL about Jesus Christ and His desire to save us to the uttermost, and live in and through us FULLY!

Next devotion I would like to share how I am continually learning Christ in my own heart. 

Stay tuned,

Sue Gaither