Roots and FruitsSample

The Big Picture: God Promises Fruit to Those Who Belong to Him 

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18).

Our efforts as believers are important, but the one who is most responsible for our growth is the One who holds us in His nail-scarred hands. A tree can’t tell itself to “produce fruit” - it needs the right nourishment, water and sun. Our nourishment is what we talked about together in the previous days including prayer, community, and being rooted in God’s word. Yet the biggest factor in our fruit-bearing is the work of the Spirit in our hearts. And here’s the great news: God promises to complete the work He starts in us!

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6).

God wants to do a beautiful work in our lives. He is patient, loving and faithful. When the good He is doing is hard to see because of the storms or sins, God uses heartache to draw us nearer to Him. What a promise! Even on the worst days (or weeks, or months!), God remains faithful and uses the very heartache and weariness we are experiencing to draw us close to Him. God never promised we would have a problem-free life, but He did promise to take care of us and equip us. And through Him, we will come out victorious!

Ask Yourself: What is one way you have seen God change your heart over this past week, month or year? How can you allow this to give you hope for future growth in Him?