Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSVue) - Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
In this chapter, the prophet discussed Judah’s sin and punishment.
He also described those who trust God.
He compares them to a tree planted by water.
When the rain does not fall, the tree remains strong.
It can do so because its roots have access to the water nearby.
It also bears fruit.
Christians also bear fruit.
These are the fruits of the Spirit.
They are evidence of faith to those around them.
But what are the fruits of the Spirit?
Paul discussed this in his letter to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSVue) - By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
The triune God makes all this possible.
The Father creates.
The Son redeems.
The Holy Spirit makes holy.
The moment we accept Christ as Savior, our roots begin to run deep.
These roots preserve us even in times of difficulty.
We also begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit.
Others bear witness to our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
There is no better way to introduce others to the triune God.
Then they can experience all these things for themselves.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, November 3, 2023.
I will be back here on Friday, November 10, 2023
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