“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.”
I love this passage. It shows us who the blessed are and their reward. We may have many personal definitions of blessed, but the Hebrew word, in this context, is ašrê and indicates happiness, joy, and favor.
This is promised to all, not just some, but all who fear the Lord. Fear, as written here, is a reverential awe and respect for God, rather than a feeling of terror, leading to obedience. The blessings of obedience come from aligning one’s life with God’s will and promises.
In these blessings of obedience, we eat the fruit of our labor and receive from the work or effort of our hands. With this comes prosperity: “You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you” (Psalm 128:2 KJV). The Hebrew word for prosperity here is tov, which signifies a state of flourishing and positive outcomes resulting from one’s work.
Thankfully, we have the Bible to aid us in knowing what God’s will and ways are as we move in reverential fear of him. However, sometimes God’s will for us personally, in various practical parts of our lives, may not look like what we, or others, think it should.
That’s why it’s not wise to be hasty, but seek the Lord in prayer as to His desires for us in our decision-making. He’ll be faithful to give us the signposts to follow, so that we’ll stay on his blessed pathway. All we need to do is sincerely ask and wait for His answer, remembering the Lord sees our honor and respect for Him.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but betransformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Are there things about you that you know just aren’t good? You know, those things you don’t like about yourself that you know need to change, but you’ve so far been unsuccessful? Well, there’s good news for all of us!
God has given us instructions on how we can be transformed: by the renewing of our minds. This is how we change. The consistent reading of the Bible is just that powerful. It’s a process by which we persistently take in the scriptures to learn the principles and patterns of God’s love, works, and ways. We learn what he desires of us and those actions and disciplines we need to set in place in our journeys toward change.
How seriously we embrace His instructions determines the time or pace at which we experience successful change. With our various upbringings, environments, jobs, hobbies, leaders, friends, etc., the rate of change will differ. However, given the Bible, God’s Holy Spirit, our commitments, and other resources the Lord uses specifically in our lives, we will experience change.
Most of all, recognition of our need for change and the willingness to do it are huge factors in successful transformation. Not to mention, that miraculous supernatural thing God does, while “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
What’s really comforting is Philippians 1:6 assures us that we can be confident that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. We aren’t abandoned to try to figure everything out on our own. God has given us the Holy Spirit as a helper to guide us into all the truth we need to mature in the faith.
The Holy Spirit empowers believers to resist temptation and live a life of holiness, overcoming sinful patterns and developing godly character. This includes cultivating virtues like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, often referred to as the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit faithfully assists to make us more like Christ.
Our transformation involves a change of heart and mind, leading to a new identity and a desire to live according to God’s will. It’s a process of spiritual formation that is initiated and enabled by God but also requires our active participation and cooperation.
One might simply list the things we’d like to change and then pray earnestly about those things, seeking God’s truth on the matter. He’s so creative and helps us in many unique ways to modify our behavior in order to bring about positive results. I’ve found the Lord to be a masterful teacher using many life lessons in various forms to get me to see his necessary points. Yet we are responsible to check the condition of our behaviors to assess if we are learning and doing what God says.
The Bible says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) We must be humble enough to submit our weaknesses to the Lord with a repentant and intentional attitude to do better by the grace of His presence within us and the strength of discipline that he provides.
Moreover, we can move bravely knowing that God has said in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave or forsake us and in John 14:18, he would not leave us as orphans but would come to us.
John 15:4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
In John 15, we observe Jesus talking to his disciples, of which we are, too. He communicates some vital instructions that we must follow as his kingdom ambassadors.
The New International Version (NIV) of this chapter teaches us to remain in him. The King James Version (KJV) of the word “remain” is abide. Abide, per Oxford languages means to accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation).
Moreover, the Greek and Hebrew translations of abide are stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy), be present, remain, dwell, continue, tarry, endure, cleave, sit, join, and rest.
Jesus wants us to see the importance of remaining in him, obviously indicating that it is possible to no longer remain, and possible to leave or withdraw. In the previous Chapter 14, Jesus is comforting the disciples signaling that he would be leaving and going to prepare a place for them.
The Lord then reiterates the fact that he is the only way to the Father, promising that if they loved him, they should keep his commands. Further, He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to be with them forever.
Jesus highlighted some interesting points about abiding or remaining in him, with a key item being that we should remain in him, like he remains in us. The truth is, we can’t bear any fruit without him, just like a branch can’t bear fruit without its vine–it must remain attached.
(1) John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We should not expect to accomplish anything for the Lord successfully without the Lord’s assistance. He wants us to remain in him continuously which will enable us to be fruitful or productive.
(2) John 15:6, “If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” This pretty much paints a picture of being useless, as mentioned in Matthew 5:13, described as losing one’s saltiness, “no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” It is quite detrimental, but not hard to understand as stated. We all just need to remain in Jesus.
(3) John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Though some people find it hard to receive these generous words of the Lord, he said what he said. If his words remain in us, we can expect to receive what we ask for. Of course, if his words live in us, his will lives in us. As such, we are told to pray his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
(4) John 15:8, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” We glorify the Father when we show ourselves to be his disciples by being fruitful or productive. The fruit we bear is evidence that we belong to the Lord, not forgetting even wicked people can do good works from time to time.
However, we should consider what the Bible calls fruit in Galatians 5:23, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Moreover, we are called to walk in this Spirit so as not to “gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
(5) John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” As Jesus experienced his Father’s love, now we too can experience Jesus’ love. He just wants us to continue in His love, doing what he says. He has provided his instructions to us in his Bible, and by his Spirit continues to provide his will to us. Graciously, He works within us to will and to do for his pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
(6) John 15:10, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” If we read Jesus’ instructions exactly as stated, it’s clear that we remain in his love by keeping his commands.
I think of a parent and child relationship when pondering this verse. If you are a parent, you love your child and want them to do as you’ve taught them. When they do, you are thrilled and want to reward them. The measure that they don’t, determines how you will discipline them.
At some point later, they could get to the place where they never do anything you’ve taught them and end up in the worst way because they refuse to change. At some point their state of living may get out of your hands, and they be judged with punishment or even death because of continuous wrongdoing. This would be the worst.
Nevertheless, in focusing on remaining in Jesus, we’ve obtained blessings, benefits, and spiritual gifts that include justification, peace with God, access to grace, and hope of glory, among others. We just need to be mindful of the very specific things that the Lord Jesus has spoken as truth and not define them as things we can merely rewrite to appease us for our own comfort.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
As human beings we all have desires, interests, and our own personal ways of doing and being. We have our own definitions of success and how to obtain it. We seek happiness and contentment in various ways and pursue those things that we think will fulfill our souls.
However, do we ever consider what God wants us to pursue? What are His desires for each of us and what truly fulfills those personal longings we possess? I ponder this often as sometimes I can get distracted but find joy in the answers God has given.
1 Timothy 6:11 provides those things God wants us to pursue. These things are of utmost importance that spill over into everything else in our lives: “… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” 2 Timothy 2:22 adds “peace” to the list. To look a little closely to each of these traits:
Pursuing righteousness we seek being morally right or justifiable, decent, just, principled and virtuous among other things. As the Body of Christ, we’ve already spiritually received God’s gift of righteousness. However, our proof of repentance and living for Christ include the aforementioned characteristics.
Godliness is living a life that reflects the character and will of God. We are told in 1 Timothy 6:6 that righteousness along with contentment is great gain.
The Bible also teaches us in Hebrews 11:6 that faith is the confidence, or substance of things we hope for, the assurance, or evidence of things we can’t see.
1 Corinthians 13 is an entire chapter that defines the attributes of love, a wonderful state encompassing patience, kindness, and selflessness. 1 John 4:8 and 4:16 tell us that God is love.
Endurance is the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity, or to withstand hardship or adversity.
We display gentleness when we are kind, tender and mild-mannered. It also involves humility, patience and empathy.
When we pursue peace, we pursue harmony and tranquility; freedom from emotional distress, worry, or public disturbance.
The traits listed in 1 Timothy 6:11 are preceded by Paul’s warning on how the love of money is the root of all evil and how people so eager for it have caused themselves many griefs and wandered from the faith because of it. He encourages his son in the faith, Timothy, to flee from those things and to fight the good fight of faith.
This, of course, is also a warning to all believers in Christ. Fleeing involves running away to escape danger; to move quickly and with urgency.
There’s nothing wrong with having dreams, goals, ideas or visions for our lives, but we must keep in close contact with our Wonderful Counselor, Peleh Yoetz (in Hebrew), to make sure our desires align with his. “Grinding” to achieve success is not always healthy or safe, especially when it moves us away from God’s ideals.
We don’t want to add any more weights to our lives than that with which we already have to contend. The Lord knows the best ways for us to do anything to achieve success. We need only ask for his wisdom which he’ll provide generously without finding fault according to James 1:5.
In our pursuits of happiness, contentment or whatever it is we desire in life, keeping our focus first and foremost on heavenly goals leads to joy and fulfillment for God’s children. Steering away from distractions can sometimes prove difficult, but doable.
We have the Spirit of the living God on the inside of us and this is marvelous. Now may we continue to fight the good fight of faith in our endeavors to do his will.
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
Isn’t it an awe-inspiring fact that one can become reborn? When I think of the awesomeness of natural birth and its wonderful process, the thought of actually being reborn can be even more mindboggling.
The curious Pharisee, Nicodemus, one who apparently knew of, or observed some works that Jesus had done, wondered how this could be. He questioned the Lord: “How can someone be born when they are old?” “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born” (John 3:4)! Jesus responded telling him that “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit to spirit” (John 3:6).
The magnificent Holy Spirit is the one who gives this new birth to our spirits! In as much as we have believed on the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and repented of our sins, we are not the same people. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “… if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Not only that, but we have been “… born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).
Of all the millions of people on the earth, the Lord has created the standard that “…no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit…‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:5-7) Hence, we must come into this new existence in Christ, in order to enter His Kingdom. As stated in the Bible, this can only be done by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and accepting Him as Lord, God’s only begotten son.
How refreshing to know that no matter what we may have experienced that we wish to forget in our pasts, before knowing Christ, it’s as good as gone when we have been reborn. It’s stated to be under the blood of Jesus, through the atonement of His death on our behalf, and we are given the gift of a new life, eternal life.
So I highlight this fact today so that we don’t forget that in being reborn, we should not see ourselves as the same as before this amazing supernatural act. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).
In addition, according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, “… we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
It is a wonderful act of God’s grace that He “chose us as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
Hence, we should not see ourselves as the persons we were, slaves to the same old habits, laden with the generational strongholds, addictions and maladies of old, never changing. Our old selves were crucified with Christ. We now walk in newness of life in Christ, in the Holy Spirit.
Moreover, Jesus himself said we are now the “…salt of the earth, the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:13-16). So, now we may rejoice that we have an awesome birthright: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Biblically, a Christian’s inheritance contains both present and future realities. We can count on blessings in this life, such as forgiveness of our sins through Christ, adoption into God’s family, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It also includes eternal life with God in heaven, and a new heaven and new earth. This inheritance is secured by faith in Jesus Christ and is a gift from God. So, let’s praise the Lord today that we’ve been reborn!
Ms. Rita's Minute 