Vineyards and Olive Trees Which You Did Not Plant

Deuteronomy 6: 6-12

"6. And these words which I command You today shall be in your heart. 7. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10. So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities, which you did not build, 11. houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant-when you have eaten and are full- 12.then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

This passage starts out with how the Word should be in our hearts, and how we should teach the Word to our children, engaging them in conversation about the Word as we take walks, as we get ready for bed, as we get up in the morning and prepare to face the day. The passage goes even further saying we should bind them as a sign on our hands and attach little placards to our foreheads, so that the Word is always in front of our eyes. I believe these are metaphors urging us to always be conscious of God's Word in our lives. This is not a consciousness for judging but a consciousness for loving. 

We should be teaching the word of Love to our children, we should be reminding our children that they are to "love one another" while sitting around in the house, when taking a walk around the neighborhood, when getting ready to lie down for the night, when getting up and preparing to face the day together. 

I know the title of the post is about reaping the benefits of work others have done building up spaces we now live in. And yes, that's an economy of "getting something for nothing," but the emphasis is on having the Word of God (the word of Love) in our hearts and focusing on that night and day. If we could just get ourselves to focus on this one thing only, our lives would be so much richer. 

The Fruit of the Spirit: Reaping the Harvest

       

             

  The Fruit of the Spirit: Reaping the Harvest

We began this exploration of the Fruit of the Spirit with the mention of the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. In Matthew 13, Jesus told this parable:

Matthew 13: 3-8 “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

 

Later, when Jesus was alone with His disciples, He explained to them what the parable meant.

Matthew 13: 19-23 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy: yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty some thirty.

The sower (planter) is someone who shares God’s word. The types of ground represent our hearts. So some of us have the kind of hearts that the word  simply “falls by the wayside.” Some of us have the kind of hearts that even though we’ve accepted God’s word, any hint of ridicule for being a believer will cause us to stumble. The next kind of heart is the kind that let the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and becomes unfruitful. Notice that it’s not riches that are bad, it’s putting concern about our money problems and how to solve them ahead of God’s word. The last type of ground is the heart that hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces!  This fruit is the Fruit of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Notice that some produce a hundredfold crop, some sixty, some thirty. Could this mean that different people, even though all believers, receive and demonstrate the fruit in various degrees? The good news is that we all produce a crop, and we produce exponentially!

 

Jesus taught about fruit extensively in John 15, referring to Himself as the “true vine” and referring to us as “the branches.” He refers to God the Father as the “vinedresser,” the one who takes care of the whole thing.  Notice that all the talk of vines and branches and fruit all lead to His commandment that we love one another. Also note that twice in this short passage, Jesus connects this idea of branches and fruit to asking and receiving.

John 15:1-17 “I am the true vine, and My father is the vinedresser.

 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

 

 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

 

 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 

 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

 

 If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.

 

 By this my father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples…

 

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends…

 

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, and whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

 

 These things I command you, that you love one another.

 

The fruit of the Spirit is given to us by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, the Presence of God in our lives. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit in John 14:16-17 and John 15:26 as the Helper, The Comforter, and the Spirit of truth. In John 16:13, Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. Chapters 15, 16, and 17 are all Jesus’ words right before entering the Garden of Gethsemane. In these chapters, He’s warning the disciples that He has to leave them, but He will not leave them comfortless: the Holy Spirit will come. In the Old Testament, the Israelites had God’s Presence in visible form as a pillar of cloud by day and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light (Exodus 13:21). Wouldn’t God feel so much nearer if we could “see” His presence as they did? Isn’t it ironic that even with the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, they still didn’t trust Him and most of them never made it into the promised land?

 

1 Corinthians 10:5 “But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”

 

Hebrews 3:17 “Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

 

They had a visible representation of God with them day and night. We, on the other hand, walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The Holy Spirit is with us and in us, guiding us into all truth, teaching us all things, helping us to remember all Jesus’ words and giving us His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the evidences by which outsiders see that we indeed have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and have received the presence of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 7:20 says “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Meekness is Gentleness

             

                               

                  Meekness is Gentleness

 The eighth quality or result of having God’s Spirit in our lives is gentleness. The King James Version of the Bible calls this “meekness.”

Psalm 37:11 “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (Jesus repeats this in Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.”)

 Gentleness

 The New King James, The New Living Translation, The Voice, The New International Version and the Amplified Bible all refer to this quality as “gentleness.”

The definition of gentleness is considerate or kindly in disposition, amiable and tender. Not harsh or severe.

 Jesus called Himself “gentle” in Matthew 11:29-30 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

Sharing a “yoke” with Jesus leads to walking at a gentle pace, not getting overexcited, not trying to take on too much. Instead, it’s a balanced life filled with His peace, keeping pace with His gentle leading.  I’ve read where some ministers refer to this “yoke” as a type of “bondage,” but Jesus Himself said that He would provide “rest” for our souls. He told us in John 8:36:  ^“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

 It should be noted that even though we are “sharing a yoke” with our Lord, we still recognized that He is the authority, and we are willingly submitting to His authority.

The idea of being yoked with our gentle Savior is best described in the Message Bible:

Matthew 11:28-30 ^“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

 Jesus won’t fit anything heavy or ill-fitting on us, and we ought not to put anything heavy or ill-fitting on other people. One of the ways I’ve found myself doing this is when dealing with my adult children. I can give them what I think is good advice, but I must remember that their lives, thoughts, opinions, and ways of doing things belong to them.

When we learn to live freely and lightly being yoked with Jesus, we can then in turn show gentleness to our fellow man. I recently read that people get all pompous concerning their religion, when they fail to realize the “gentleness” Jesus represents.

 

People seem to want to use their belief as a way to one-up other people. Yet true belief in Jesus requires us to show love to everyone, regardless of their faith, regardless of their race, regardless of their politics. We don’t agree with everyone. But we’re not to disrespect anyone. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;”

 

At the same time, having an attitude of meekness and gentleness in our actions, does not mean we are doormats. We’re not to lash out in anger or passively refuse to act when a response is warranted. We must learn (I, especially, must learn) to allow the Holy Spirit to show us when and how to respond in every situation, so that we can show respect and kindness while being firm.  Gentleness is using great strength with self-control.    

 

Ephesians 4:2 “Walk worthy of the Calling, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.”

 

Philippians 4:5 “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”

 

2 Timothy 2:24 “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient…”

 

Titus 3:2 “to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”

 

Humility: the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

 

Definitions of “Humble”

 1. not proud or arrogant; modest:

2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.:

3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly:

4. courteously respectful:

 

The definitions above are dictionary definitions. The word “Humble” in the Biblical sense does not include number two. We are not to think of ourselves as insignificant or inferior. We know that we are created in God’s own image and He has given us His Son as a sacrifice so that we are made righteous in Him. We are to make sure that we’re not thinking of ourselves as “better” than anyone else. We possess strength, but we’re to exercise our strength in a humble way.

 

 

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

 

Matthew 23: 11-12, Luke 14:11 and Luke 18:14

 “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

1 Peter 5: 6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”

 

The Humility of Jesus

Isaiah 42: 1-3 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
² He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.³ A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.”

It was prophesized seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth that He would be humble. He wouldn’t raise His voice in the street. He would fully heal a reed that was bruised and cause a light that was almost out to shine bright again. This is good news for our lives. Jesus will restore whatever needs fixing in us!

 

We see Jesus’ humility in:

The example of His humble birth.

Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger (a feed trough for animals), because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

The example of Him riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Hundreds of years before Christ was born; it was prophesized in Zechariah 9:9:

“…Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Matthew 21: 4-5 and John 12:14-15 both reiterate that Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, not on a majestic white horse, but gently on a donkey.

 

The example of washing the disciples’ feet.

John 13:2-15 “And supper being ended… (Jesus) rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded…So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.’”

 

The example of Him coming in the likeness of men.

Philippians 2:5-8 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

 

We are not good witnesses of the gentleness and goodness of our Savior when we are prideful in our faith. Knowing our true identity in Christ, we don’t have to continually lash out at or criticize others to prove our self-worth. Our worth has already been established by His grace. After all, it was Jesus Himself that suffered an agonizing and brutal death on the cross. We should be humbled by the humble position He took to save us from our sin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number Seven is Faithfulness

   

                   Number Seven is Faithfulness

 The King James Version of the Bible actually says this fruit is Faith, as opposed to “Faithfulness” which has been adopted by the more recent translations.   

 

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith requires giving up control, putting our trust in God, whom we can’t see.

 

2Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” We hold onto faith, sometimes ignoring what we see, what we hear, and especially what we feel, choosing instead to depend on God’s goodness to work all things together for our good.

 

 Faith is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and also a gift of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Bible tells us that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. God gives us faith. Yet we have the choice as to whether or not we will live in faith.

 

Definitions of Faith

1. Confident belief of the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, an idea or a thing.
2. Loyalty to a person or thing, allegiance.
3. Secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.

 

Love is The Thing

The fruit of the Spirit is love. Because the first condition of “faith” is to believe that there is a God, it’s curious that although “faith” is a fruit of the Spirit, it’s not the fruit of the Spirit. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2 “…though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” Our faith then, is grounded in the assurance of God’s love for us and is made evident by our love for each other. Paul ends “The Love Chapter:” 1 Corinthians 13:13 with, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Paul said that if he didn’t have love, he was nothing. All the faith in the world without love is nothing. All those people throughout history who have used their “faith” to justify killing, to justify looking down on others, and to justify treating people with cruelty didn’t have true faith at all. We have to love. We have to see every human being as created by God in His likeness and image

 (Genesis 1:26).  We even have to love people who have a different “faith” than ours!

Romans 13:10 “^Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

 

 

Faith in Believing God Exists and He is For Us

The first requirement of faith is that we believe in God. Hebrews 11:6 “…For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Yes, the first requirement is to believe that there is a God. At first glance, it appears that this is all there is. However, it’s established that the second part of the verse treats what we think about God is just as important as believing in Him. “He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him.” It’s not enough to believe He exists; we must also realize that He loves us and created us to be in a relationship with Him. One of my good friends said to me once, “I believe in God and that’s it.” In my naïveté, I thought that this was a courageous statement. My friend expressed “faith” while dodging any responsibility of knowing God or claiming to have a relationship with Him. I’m sure that the intent was to say, “I believe in God but I don’t want to be a hypocrite by claiming I know anything about him.” I see now that it wasn’t courage at all; He actually felt disqualified to make any assertions about God.  It was not realizing that God wants us to know Him. God not only wants us to seek a relationship with Him, He also wants us to know that He is for us. This is a fairly new concept for me. It amazes me that the Creator of the universe; the One who parted the red sea, the One who fed His people manna from heaven for forty years, and the One who produced water from a rock…is on my side? How can this be? He has all those planets in all those galaxies to keep in place. He keeps the earth revolving around the sun, changing day into night, changing the seasons…yet He is for me! He cares that I’m well. He cares that I have what I need. He even wants me to be happy! We can have faith in God’s good plans for us because we know that He is good!

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

 

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

 

Hebrews 11: The Faith Chapter

If we can call 1 Corinthians 13 “The Love Chapter,” it’s only fitting that we should call Hebrews 11 “The Faith Chapter.” It begins:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

³ By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Verses 4-39 cite all the specific acts of faith throughout Biblical history, including:

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

⁷ By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household,

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac,

²³ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents,

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days

³⁹ And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, ⁴⁰ God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Because of all the men and women listed with their acts of faith in Hebrews 11, this chapter  is often referred to as the “wall of faith.” Yet God had something even better for us: His Son.

 

Faith to Believe in the Son:  Atonement for Sin and Peace with God

 The second requirement of faith is that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that we are cleansed from sin by His work at the Cross.  The whole point of the gospel (which is “good news”) is “justification by faith.”  We are not only freed from the penalty for sin, we are also freed from the bondage of sin. This means that God has declared us as righteous. We have right-standing with Him, because we believe in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, a specific position in the Trinity.   We believe that the punishment for sin was served in the body of Jesus on the cross, and that by believing this, we are declared righteous. We now have no need to fear the wrath of God, and in fact we are adopted into His family.

Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

 

 

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

2 Corinthians; 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

 

1 John 1:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

 

 

Faith or Works?

It’s established that we are justified by Christ’ finished work at the cross and that the fruit of the Spirit is supplied by God Himself. This leads to the question: what are we supposed to do? Here is the double–sided coin of works and faith.  Paul said that if our salvation is by our works, then we wouldn’t need faith. It is completely possible that Paul is referring to “works” that are the old requirements of Jewish Law, which included the rites of animal sacrifices and even circumcision. His language, however, is adamant that by just “believing” we are justified before God.

 

Romans 4:4-5 “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

 

Even Jesus used the word “believe” when explaining His reason for coming to earth:

 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

On the other hand, James tells us that faith without works is dead. James begins his discussion in reference to good works: helping the needy, which of course, we see that this goodness is indeed a fruit of the Spirit. He makes obvious the correlation between faith and goodness, but he goes much further than this, also adamant, that faith requires action. James states that even demons “believe.”

 James 2:14-26 “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

 On the other hand, when the people asked Jesus in John 6:28-29,

“What shall we do that we may work the work of God? Jesus answered…’This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He sent.”  This sentence seems to contradict what James said. In fact, Jesus used the phrase “Your faith has made you well” or “Your faith has saved you” many times during his three year ministry on the earth. However, on closer inspection, we see that the recipient of the blessing had actually done something; they had exercised their faith in some way.

 

To the woman with the twelve year hemorrhage in Mark 5:34, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” Perhaps the “work” in this case was her reaching out to touch His clothes. ²⁵ Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

²⁹ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. ³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

³¹ But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

³² And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. ³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

 

 

In Mark 2:5, after Jesus saw that a man was lowered down into a house from the middle of the roof, Jesus’ response to the paralyzed man was to praise the faith of his four friends by forgiving the paralyzed man’s sins.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” The paralytic was rewarded based on the faith of his friends. Perhaps the “work” in this case was to get their friend to Jesus in

whichever way they could.

 

In Luke Chapter 7, we read about the woman who broke the alabaster flask of oil and anointed Jesus. The anointing and the washing of His feet was the “work”. His response: “Your faith has saved you.”

³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

 

In Luke 17 verses 11-19, we read again where Jesus said to the one leper who returned to say “thank-you” after receiving his healing, “Your faith has made you well.”

¹¹ Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. ¹² Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. ¹³ And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴ So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? ¹⁸ Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith is to be Spoken and is built by Hearing

 

In Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17, he prayed to the Father for His disciples and also for us. In this prayer, Jesus essentially said that we would declare our belief in him through “our word,” in essence, by saying we believed in Him.

John 17:20-21 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

 

Consider this passage in Romans Chapter 10:

Romans 10:6 “But the righteousness of faith speaks…8. But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard:? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 17. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 

Paul wrote to the believers who lived in Rome that we can “speak faith” using God Himself as our example. In Romans 4:17, Paul wrote that God “…calls those things which do not exist as they did.” And after all God spoke everything in this world into existence by simply saying, “Let there be…” in Genesis 1.

 

The woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5: 25-34  heard about Jesus, and then she said to herself, “If only I may touch His clothes…”

 

 

Jesus taught about the importance of what we say, as a sign of our faith in

Mark 11:22-24 ^“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

 

God Will Give Us Everything We Need

It’s truly a “leap of faith” to believe that the Creator of the universe exists as the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s a further “leap of faith” to believe that the “Son” in this Trinity was born into a human body and lived on earth teaching, healing, and finally sacrificing His life so that we could be forgiven for sin and restored to right-standing

with the Father. Even though these beliefs require a “leap of faith,” I’m willing to say that most of us have taken that “leap” and we do believe.  So why is it so hard to believe that God will provide for us, protect us, heal us, and improve our lives? Jesus asked in Luke 18:8, “…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” I hope that He will. Here are a few Bible promises to help us build our faith:

 

God will protect us:

 The Entire Chapter of Psalm 91

  The Entire Chapter of Psalm 121

 

God will provide for us:

 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

 

Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

God will heal us:

Psalm 103: 2 - 3   “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.”

 

Isaiah 53:5 “…and by His stripes we are healed.”

 

God will improve our lives:

Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

 

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

 

And here is the crux of the matter. If we can believe in Jesus and His finished work at the cross so that we are free from sin and made right with God, we can be sure that God will honor His word and freely give us all things.

 

Romans 8: 31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

 

 

 

 

The Sixth Fruit is Goodness

                                             

The Sixth Fruit is Goodness

 The word “good” has many definitions. Some of the words used to describe the word good are: morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, pious, satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree, of high quality, kind, beneficial, honorable, worthy, and genuine. Only God has all of those qualities.  No matter how hard we try we cannot consistently live up to those moral virtues on our own. Our “goodness” has to be God-given. We have to depend on His goodness to override our selfish natures. There are times yes, when we “do good” and there are people who we describe as a “good person” based on their actions or what we observe in their personalities, but true “goodness” is a gift of God and it is a fruit of the Spirit.

 

 Within the context of the fruit of the Spirit, “goodness” is the state of consistently and unselfishly doing what is beneficial to others. It’s more about generosity and working for justice than about following rules. Further, “goodness” is a way of seeing. This goes back to our verse in 1 Corinthians 13:5 in which we’re told that love keeps no account of evil and expects the best of everyone: remembering that we are all created in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:26).

We are prompted to perform good works in response to God’s great love for us. It’s not self-generated. It’s God-generated. Our catalyst to perform good works has to be compassion for people, not just a duty to perform. When God puts a good work in our hearts, we’ll know that it’s Him, we won’t suffer burnout from trying to work in our own strength. We won’t pat our own selves on the back; we’ll give Him the glory. Goodness has to begin with love.

 

God is Good

Even in Old Testament times, the writers knew that God is good. They didn’t even have the knowledge of the free salvation that we have now through our belief in Christ. They just knew that God was good, based on His record and on His promises. King David and the additional authors of the Psalms knew that God is good. They pointed out that He gives food to eat, He placed us in families, He doesn’t give us the punishment we deserve when we do wrong. He even provides oil for our skin and wine for our enjoyment!

 

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” This same refrain is repeated in Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, and Psalm 136:1

 

2 Chronicles 5:13 “For He is Good, His mercy endures forever.”

 

Psalm 65:11 “You crown the year with Your goodness and Your paths drip with abundance.”

 

Evidence of God’s Goodness

Psalm 68:5-6 “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity.”

 

Psalm 68: 19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation.”

 

Psalm 103:3 “He forgives our sins and heals our diseases.”

 

Psalm 103:4 “He redeems our lives from destruction and crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.”

 

Psalm 103:5 “He satisfies our mouth with good things so that our youth is renewed.”

 

Psalm 103:6 “He executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.”

 

Psalm 103:8 “He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

 

Psalm 103:10 “He has not punished us according to our sins.”

 

Psalm 104: 14-15 “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth. 15. And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man’s heart.”

 

Psalm 113:7 “He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of the ash heap.”  

 

Psalm 113:9 “He grants the barren woman a home, Like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!” 

 

 

God’s Righteousness

By all the scriptures above, we see that God is good. This was acknowledged by the Psalmists even before the finished work of Christ at the cross. They knew then that God is good. We have an even greater revelation of God’s goodness: the privilege of receiving right-standing with Him. God freely gives us His gift of salvation and He freely loads us with daily blessings. We can’t earn this or work for it. We receive the benefits of God because of His goodness. Hebrews 1:2 tells us that “(God) has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” By believing and confessing the finished work of Jesus at the cross, we receive right standing with God. This “right-standing” is called “righteousness,” it comes through our faith in the Lord Jesus the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah).

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 Scriptures teach that Jesus was the incarnate Christ, the true Son and visible representation of the invisible God. Scriptures further teach that He gave His life on the cross, as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, and that He arose from the dead on the third day and He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

2 Corinthians 4:4 “…Christ, who is the image of God…”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

Hebrews 1:3 “(His Son) who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…”

 

Our “Good Works” are to glorify Him

Our goodness is a gift from God. Our salvation was provided by God’s kindness not by any good works that we could possibly do to earn it. Our inclination to perform good works is a result of our gratitude towards God for giving us this free gift of righteousness.

Once inclined to do good works, as a response to the goodness of God, the Bible encourages us to show goodness, so that God will be glorified!

 

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father.”

 

1 Peter 2:12 “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

The above passage is expressed in a different way in The Message Bible Translation by Eugene H. Peterson:

1 Peter 2: 11-12The Message (MSG)

^11-12 Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

 

 

Goodness in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly told His people to practice goodness among each other:  Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless; Plead for the widow; The Israelites were so pleased with themselves, bragging that they had observed all the “fasts” and the Holy Days, but God let them know that the kind of “fast” He requires is that we stop exploiting the poor, feed the hungry, and give shelter and clothing to those who go without. He told the Israelites (and by extension, us) to look out for the most vulnerable members of society: the widows, the orphans, and exploited workers.

Isaiah 58:6-7 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?”

 

 

 

John the Baptist’s Instructions in Goodness

When John the Baptist began his ministry beside the Jordan River, he preached a message of repentance. Although this was before Jesus’ ministry began, John told the people that someone mightier than him would be coming, but for now to repent and be baptized.  The people wanted to know what they could do to show that they had received salvation through repentance. John gave them specific and active acts of goodness spelled out to each person in their particular situation. To repent simply means to “change your mind.” John encouraged specific people to show how they had “changed their minds” through performing specific acts. Note that these acts all have to do with justice and generosity. He tells the person with two sets of clothes to share one. He tells the tax collectors to stop cheating the people. He tells the soldiers to stop trying to collect bribes by intimidation.

 

To the person who had abundance: Luke 3:11 “…He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

 

To the tax collector: Luke 3:13 “…collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

 

To the soldier: Luke 3:14 “…do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

 

 

 

Jesus’ Compassion for People

Jesus’ compassion for people is evidenced by His willingness to sacrifice His life so that we can be free from both the penalty and the bondage of sin. During His ministry as a human being on earth, he also demonstrated His love for us by His teachings, His healings, and His miracles of abundance. In Matthew 14, Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist. Jesus left the crowds in order to spend some time alone. Verse 13 says that although He left by boat, people found out where He went and followed on foot to find Him. Although He left to spend time alone (in response to His hearing about the death of John the Baptist), once He saw the crowd of people, according Matthew 14:14-21, He not only healed their sick, He also miraculously provided food for about five thousand men, besides women and children. Verse 14: “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” This same compassion led Jesus to feed the people. These miracles of healing and miracle of abundance are from the same place: His heart of love. This particular miracle of abundance is recorded in all four Gospels:

Matthew 14:13-21

Mark 6:36-44

Luke 9:11-17

John 6:5-13

Just one chapter over, in Matthew 15:29-38, the same thing happens again, first there is healing, and then there is feeding. In this instance, Jesus had just had the exchange with the Canaanite woman and had healed her daughter then, “Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, muted, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”  Verse 38 tells us “Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.” This second set of healings and miracle of abundance are also recorded in Mark 8:1-9 and Luke 9:12-17

 

The above miracles of healing and abundance show Jesus’ love for humanity. He also expects us to show love for humanity as well. In Matthew 25, He tells us that when we give food to someone who is hungry, we’re giving it to Him. We’re quenching His thirst when we give the thirsty something to drink. What we do for the “least of these” we’re doing for Him.

Matthew 25:34-40 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come , you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see you a stranger and take You in or naked and clothe You?’ And the king will answer, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

 

After the death and resurrection of Christ, Paul wrote in many of the letters to various churches, and to us, The Church, that we are to maintain good works that show that we indeed God’s people.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

 

“Goodness” is a fruit of the Spirit. It is an attribute of God Himself. Just as He is good to us, we should be careful to show goodness to others. The Bible says that we are to “be imitators of God as dear children (Ephesians 5:1). We must also remember that our so-called “acts of goodness” must begin in love, a deep tender feeling of concern for the well-being of others. Remember in the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote in verse 3, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor…but have not love, it profits me nothing.” The fruit of the Spirit is love, it is the evidence that God’s Holy Spirit living inside.