Image: Almond blossoms. When men enter their most bitter conflicts, how do they resolve them? When men fight over land, religion, power, and money, what tool do they use to determine the winner? DEATH. We’re talking about war, of course. Yes, we try to negotiate. We try to work out our differences. The worst ofContinue reading “God Uses LIFE to Resolve Conflicts Among His People: You Will Know Them By Their Fruits. Numbers 17.”
Tag Archives: Bear Fruit
God Sends Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch. Acts 8:26-40.
Read Acts 8:26-40. An angel (from the Greek “angelos” meaning “messenger”) tells Philip to go to the Ethiopian eunuch who is in a chariot heading back to Africa after worshipping in Jerusalem. Philip finds the eunuch—a high ranking royal servant—reading the scroll of Isaiah and struggling to understand the prophecies in chapter 53 (“He wasContinue reading “God Sends Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch. Acts 8:26-40.”
FRUIT. John 15:8,16.
When I was a boy my parents planted peach trees. For years, they bore only leaves and a bit of shade. Finally, they bore fruit. Fruit trees are like that—they don’t bear much fruit during the first years. We don’t either. But as we get older, God gives us the capacity to bear spiritual fruit:Continue reading “FRUIT. John 15:8,16.”
Leave Things Better. Matthew 21:18-22.
My Boy Scout troop went camping one weekend of every month. As we packed up to go home on Sunday mornings, we would “police the area,” picking up even the tiniest specks of trash. Some bits of trash—such as cigarette butts—were clearly not dropped by any of us, but we picked them up anyway. OurContinue reading “Leave Things Better. Matthew 21:18-22.”
FRUIT TREES. Luke 13:6-9.
Fruit trees do not mature quickly. Apple trees bear fruit for the first time in the fourth or fifth year. Fig trees, cherry trees, and plum trees bear fruit at three to five years. Pears at four to six years. Clearly if you plan to farm fruit, you will have to be patient: it doesContinue reading “FRUIT TREES. Luke 13:6-9.”
ARE YOU WATCHING THE STORIES AROUND YOU? Luke 8:8, 12-15.
I am fascinated watching the stories around me—Mr. Most-Likely-to-Succeed actually does, while another flames out; gung-ho teacher quits after working 12 hours a day for two years, while another works half as much, but keeps at it for decades. Some destinies fulfill expectations, others are surprises. Most apples don’t fall far from the tree—but nowContinue reading “ARE YOU WATCHING THE STORIES AROUND YOU? Luke 8:8, 12-15.”
BAD FRUIT/GOOD FRUIT. Matthew 7:16-17.
Some bear only good fruit. With them I am energized and restored, my tank filled, my joy renewed. These are believers who have walked with Jesus for a lifetime. Others are in the middle: their impact may be sweet, but sour notes remain. Finally, there are those who take you to dark places, though everyContinue reading “BAD FRUIT/GOOD FRUIT. Matthew 7:16-17.”
JERUSALEM HAS NO RIVER. Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 4:14.
Great cities are built on the water: New York, Cairo, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo—but not Jerusalem. This world capital, a sacred destination to billions of Christians, Jews, and Muslims—has no river, no port, no shipping. Jerusalem is landlocked. But in Heaven the New Jerusalem will be the source of the greatest river: “There was waterContinue reading “JERUSALEM HAS NO RIVER. Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 4:14.”
Winners and Losers.
Pastor Gregg asked us to choose one word to explain who we were BEFORE Christ versus AFTER. I chose “loser.” I was a LOSER. I was bad at things, failed things, broke things, lost things, ruined things. I started late, quit early, did things with half-effort, and the results were bad: loser effort produced loserContinue reading “Winners and Losers.”
Chinese Tallows.
We may have a hundred Chinese Tallow trees. This invasive species grows fast, and has bright green leaves twisting like pinwheels in the wind. In autumn, they create some of the most flashy fall colors in the South. Plant stores used to sell them as fast-growing shade trees. But fifty years later, birds have spreadContinue reading “Chinese Tallows.”
Household Words: 