"ENERGIZED FOR LIVING"

Most all of us have seen or heard of the Energizer Bunny who runs on batteries that keep going and going and going. And some of us sit back and watch young children run and play and say to ourselves, "I wish I had just half the energy they have!" Well, the Bible says: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

A poster read, "Energy is nothing more than a love of life." This is especially true for us whose hope in in Jesus, the resurrection and the life. Energetic living hinges on drawing our strength and love from Him. Jesus offers the vitality and stamina to live in God's service. Through His means of grace ~ Word and sacraments ~ He supplies each Christian with a readily available source of energy: His Spirit! When we live for Him who has redeemed us, we experience exhilaration and rejuvenation because the Spirit is lifting us above the way of the world with the divine breath of life.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5

Because we have free will, we break fellowship with God by allowing sin in our life, by stepping out of the will of God, or by worldliness. He wants us to abide so that we bring forth much fruit. Notice here that there is a similarity to the parable of the sower (Matthew 13). Remember that some of the seed fell on good ground and brought forth thirtyfold ~ that is fruit. Some of the seed brought forth sixty ~ that is more fruit. Some of the seed brought forth an hundredfold ~ that is much fruit. God wants US to bear much fruit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22,23

These two verses say a great deal! The Lord Jesus just spoke of the fruit of the Spirit (John 15). He said that without Him we can do nothing. And fruit is what He wants in our lives. He wants fruit, more fruit, and much fruit! Now, the fruit is produced by the Lord Jesus using the Spirit of God in our lives. He wants to live His life through us. Paul is stating the principle of fruit-bearing so that we can understand it. Let us look at these two verses more closely now ~ they say so much! The fruit is produced by yielding ~ by yielding to the sweet influences that are about us. Not speaking of the world! But we are to yield to the Holy Spirit who indwells us. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace." (Notice it is singular: is, not are ~ it is singular in the Greek language). This indicates that "love" is the fruit, and from it stems all other fruits. Love is primary! There are some other fruits. Are you longsuffering ~ that is, patient and long-tempered? Then there is the fruit of gentleness, which means kindness; there is goodness, which means kind, but firm. Faith, in this list means faithfulness. If you are a child of God, you will be faithful. Next comes meekness, and that does not mean mildness. Two men who were truly meek were Moses and the Lord Jesus. Perhaps you don't think Moses was meek when he came down from the Mount, found the people were worshipping a golden calf, and administerd disciplinary judgment (see Exodus 32). But he was meek. And was Jesus meek when He ran the money-changers out of the temple? Meekness is not mildness and it is not weakness. Meakness means that you will do God's will, that you are willing to yield your will to the will of God. Then there is temperance, which is self-control ~ Christian poise is so needed today. "against such there is no law." There is "no law" against them, and no law which will produce them. You cannot produce any of these by your own effort.

Application: The study of God's Word, the remembrance of our Baptism, and frequent attendance at the Lord's Supper ~ all accompanied by a frequent prayer life ~ keep life flowing in our spiritual veins and equip us for living with joy and enthusiasm. The fruit of the Spirit should characterize the lives o believers. Are we, as Christians, producing any fruit in our lives today? Let us be mindful, we can do everything "through" Him who gives us strength.

Today's Devotion: "And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." 2Corinthians 3:4-6

Heavenly Father, our God, our Strength, provide energy equal to the tasks You have given us as we seek to do Your will. Help us to bear fruit, more fruit, much fruit to glorify Your Name. In Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen.

God Bless You All as you plant seed that will produce "much fruit" for the Lord.