APART FROM JESUS I CANNOT BE GODLY FRUIT
Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” —Psalm16:1-2
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. —Proverbs 19:21
Surely, this is the safest place to be— to take refuge in our Lord God Almighty. We are to know this as well— that “apart from you I have no good thing.” This truth is again repeated by Jesus when He said, “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” (John 15:5).
We may make plans and as we do so we should seek Him first to make sure those plans line up with His purposes. Ultimately, “it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” and we need to make sure that His purposes are our purposes. We find His foundational purposes in His Word and so we need to be “People of the Book.” His Word is what counts and is our guide, our blueprint for life— whatever we may be doing and wherever we are!
- A builder bears the fruit of their hands
- An artist bears the fruit of their hands
- A writer bears the fruit of their hands
- A chef bears the fruit of their hands
All of these bear fruit as they abide in their creative ability. So also, a follower of Jesus bears fruit as they abide in Jesus who gives us our creative ability according to His purposes. So, let us abide and bear much fruit which will be glory to our Father (John 15:8). Yes, Dear Father, may this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. So be it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLDEt9KP2O0&list=RDBLDEt9KP2O0&start_radio=1