Gifts That Bear Fruit - Part 1
Jesus said in John 15:8: By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Mothers of Nations, as we come into this Christmas season, do any of you start to think about gifts? I certainly do as I ponder what I could buy for my kids, grandkids, relatives, spouse, special friends, etc.
And for me, this process seems to have become more complicated as the kids get older. Tastes change. Color preferences change. Interests change. I have found myself looking at the shelves in the stores and thinking, “Should I get this? Should I get that?” And yet for me the process is enjoyable and gift-giving is a blessing.
But in the larger scope of things, I do believe that there are “gifts” we can give all year round that have no questions or wonderings around them! And this is the topic of the next few blogs during this Christmas season.
The Word of God tells us to “bear fruit” . . . and lots of it! We can do this daily by bringing people to Christ, touching the lives of others with encouragement, meeting needs, etc., and remaining in the Vine. All of this type of giving is part of “bearing fruit.”
Jesus said in John 15:8 that when we produce much fruit, we are His true disciples. And this brings great glory to the Father. So let’s approach “gift giving” from a perspective different from the normal Christmas season “gift giving.”
These gifts we want to consider do not cost money. But they may require us to “say” or “do” something to produce the gift in our lives. We may even need to change something or work on something to have the gift available to give to others.
Luke 6: 38 NKJ says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
The New Living Translation of this verse says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Did you catch that? This verse says that when we give, our gift will return to us in full: pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into our lap!
Some call this the law of reciprocity. Mothers of Nations, we need to learn to give!
Next week we are going to start looking at seven gifts that we can develop in our own lives so that we will be ready to give to others.
Have a blessed week, enjoy this Christmas season, and begin to look for ways that you can give to others!
Dr. Sharon Predovich
