[Real Life] Unintended ConsequencesSample

Agreeing with God

Glorifying God is a vast concept. What does it mean? There are many different definitions, but let me share this one with you: to stand in agreement with God. We glorify God when we stand in agreement with Him. We say, "What Your Word says, Lord, I believe. I’m going to live my life like that.” This brings Him glory. “Everything God says about Himself, I believe.” That glorifies God.

I stand in agreement with God. And when I glorify God, He teaches me His disciplines—He makes me a disciple. Jesus says, “…Showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Discipleship is a continuous process of agreeing more and more with God. You might go to a Bible study, and you learn to agree to a greater extent with God. You hear a message, and you agree with God. Glorifying God then results in bearing fruit. 

In college, I took botany, the study of plants. I want you to know, I can identify an orange tree spectacularly... if there are oranges hanging from the branches. I can look at an apple tree at 30 yards, and say, “That’s an apple tree!”... If there are apples hanging from the branches. 

We are great at identifying the tree correctly if we see the fruit connected to it. Dear Christian, you will be known as a disciple if you bear much fruit. People should be able to look at a believer in Christ and see the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

People should look and say, “Look, it’s a Christian.” But what is really confusing is when somebody says, “I’m a Christian!” and there is no evidence—no fruit. It confuses the Christian, who begins to wonder if they are still saved, even though they know in their head that they cannot lose their salvation. It also confuses the people around them, because they hear, “Christian,” but there is no fruit to show for it. 

Jesus says, “You will bear much fruit, and they will know that you are my disciples.” You don’t have to announce you are a Christian, although it is good sometimes. You can show it with the fruit of Christ’s life in you. People can identify His disciples from 30 yards and say, “I see great peace in him, I believe he is a Christian.” “I see great joy in her, I believe she is a Christian.” This brings God glory.