Week 10:  A Tree Bearing Fruit

Memory Verse
{John 15.5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”}

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~Day 1~
Known by Fruit

Spring is finally here! It’s time for the flowers to start blooming, the birds to start singing, and the trees fill back up with those bright green leaves. It’s beautiful. There’s no doubt about it. We were created to love the beauty of spring. In our lives we go through our own winters and springs. There are times where the conditions aren’t the best and the world around you is cold and blooming seems impossible. And then there are times when everything lines up and you can’t help but flourish. This week we are going to talk about a comparison that is made in the Bible a lot. The comparison is between us, followers of Christ, and trees. Today we are going to take a look at why being a tree that bears fruit is important.

Read Matthew 7.17-20.  

This verse tells us that we will be recognized by our fruit. People will know whether or not we are a Christian by our fruit.

Read Luke 6.43-45.

Here we see the same concept that a good tree will bear good fruit. On down in this passage it relates it to someone with good treasure producing good in life. The passage ends with “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Our words, actions, and attitudes reveal the condition of our hearts. If you are always having a negative attitude or doing and saying hurtful things then the condition of your heart is ugly. When our heart is filled with Christ and we are looking to Him in our daily life, our words, actions, and attitude will be pleasing and glorifying to the Lord! People will not have to question what kind of tree we are because they will recognize us by our fruit.

-          When others look at you, what do you want them to see? Do you want them to see someone who is negative and rude or someone who shines the light of Christ, who’s full of joy and hope?

-          Take a minute to reflect. Be honest. Put yourself in one of the following categories.

o   Bearing bad fruit: Negative heart. Negative attitude. Negative actions. Negative words.

o   Not bearing at all: You wouldn’t say you are a bad person or a negative person or that you are doing things that hurt others. However, you aren’t doing anything to point people to Christ. You never talk about God. You don’t serve God.

o   Bearing fruit: Your eyes are set on Christ. While yes you still mess up and you still fall, the overall character of your life screams Jesus! You can’t help but talk about Him and serve Him. People see your joy and life very clear!

 

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~Day 2~
So what does fruit even look like?

So now that we recognize the importance of bearing fruit, some of you must be asking…. What does fruit eve look like? There is a variety of fruit that all grow on us when we are seeking Christ. Take a look at one set of fruit that the Bible lays out for us.

Read Galatians 5.22-23.

The fruit of the SPIRIT! As we look to Christ, He fills us more and more with the Holy Spirit! When we are living by the Holy Spirit, we will naturally produce this fruit: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF CONTROL. We will talk about these more in the weeks to come but here is just a brief overview of what fruit looks like.

Read Ephesians 5.8-9.

This verse commands us to walk as Children of the Light… Light referring to Christ. It clearly states that the fruit of light is GOOD and RIGHT and TRUE! So we know we are fixing our eyes on Christ and bearing fruit when our words, actions, and attitudes are GOOD, RIGHT, and TRUE.

-          Evaluate.  Look at each piece of the fruit of the Spirit and ask yourself if that is evident in your life?

-          Now think about your words…. Are they good, right, and true?

-          Think about your actions…. Are they good, right, and true?

-          Think about your attitude…. Is it good, right, and true?

-           

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~Day 3~
ABIDE

 

So now that you know why fruit is important and what it looks like, you might be wandering how you get it. Today I want you to read a very detailed passage of Scripture. Depending on what version you use, the word “ABIDE” or “REMAIN” is used several times in this passage. So I want us to take a look at the definition of the word abide.

Abide: to remain stable or fixed. To continue in a place.

Keeping that definition in mind, read John 15.1-11.

Throughout this passage we are told to Abide/Remain fixed in a few things.
Remain in Him. (stay fixed in Christ’s mindset and plan for your life)
Remain in His word [vs. 7]. ( stay fixed in the Bible and cling to the words of God)
Remain in His love [vs. 9]. (stay fixed in Christ’s love for you knowing that it is always consistent)
Remain in His commandments [vs. 10]. (stay fixed in His commands for your life)

Jesus says at the end that He tells us this so we may have the fullness of joy. But there is another verse that shows us what the result is. It’s actually my favorite verse in this passage. Reread 15.8. By remaining in Him we bring glory to God and prove to be His disciples!!!

 

-          Looking at the 4 specifics of remaining in Him, which area(s) do you need to be more stable in?

-          Do you feel like you  prove to be God’s disciple on a daily basis? How? Or How not?

 

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~Day 4~
Going Deeper

Read Psalm 1.1-3.

So looking at verse 3 we see that the man (or woman) being talked about here is someone planted who never stops bearing fruit. But why? We must go back and look at verses 1 and 2. He doesn’t act the way godless people act but he delights in the Lord and the Lord’s commands.

Read Jeremiah 17.5-8.

Here again in verse 8 we see yet another tree planted that bears fruit always. Looking back at verses 5-7 we see that this man is like this because he trusts in the Lord… not man! He is not anxious because he knows God is his supply.

-          Do you find joy in pleasing the Lord and walking in His commands for you?

-          Do you trust the Lord or man? When you have a problem do you turn to your friends or to God? When things don’t go your way do you stomp your feet in anger or trust that God has you right where He wants you to be?

 

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~Day 5~
The Produce

Read Mark 4.20.

When we accept the truth and stand on the Word of God we WILL bear fruit! It’s not something we have to force to happen! As you fix your eyes on Christ and dig into His Word on a daily basis all of this fruit will be visible. You won’t have to try to incorporate it. It is a naturally product of a genuine relationship with Christ. And when you have that look what happens…..

Read Proverbs 11.30.

This verse first says that doing good for the Lord becomes a tree of LIFE. And what does this tree of life do? My version reads that it “CAPTURES SOULS.” As you live for Christ and bear fruit and prove to be His disciple, you will capture souls!!! People will be drawn to Christ because of you fruit shining from your tree! Don’t miss the opportunity to capture souls for Jesus!

-          Are you capturing souls for Christ? What’s stopping you? DON’T LET IT!

 

What are your thoughts? I want feedback. Feel free to send me any question responses. I would love to hear from you, answer any questions you have, and pray for your needs specifically. Feel free to share this, comment, email me at brandycaudill90@gmail.com, or facebook message me!

 

Week 9:  Reading the Story

This is the week we celebrate. We celebrate Christ’s willingness to come. We celebrate His willingness to die. We celebrate the blood He shed. We celebrate the veil He tore. We celebrate the sacrifice. We celebrate the forgiveness. We celebrate the tomb. We celebrate that He didn’t stay there. We celebrate the resurrection. We celebrate the hope of the future. We celebrate the commission. We celebrate JESUS!
For all He is, all He’s done, and all He continues to do.

Join me this week in reading the story.

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~Day 1~
The Capture

Read Matthew 26.47-68 & 27.1-2.

-          Today I want you to simply read. No questions. Just do your best over the next few days to think about the setting, the emotion, the reality of this story of Christ.

 

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~Day 2~
The Charge

Read Matthew 27.11-26.

-          It is so easy to sit and think about those crying “CRUCIFY HIM!” and think how ridiculous. How often do you try to “kill” Jesus in your life when He calls you to give up something? Or step out on faith? These “religious” people didn’t want anything to do with Jesus because He messed up the way they wanted to live. He changed everything! When you accept Jesus… when you truly follow Jesus… He will change everything!

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~Day 3~
The Crucifixion

Read Matthew 27.27-56.

-          Take some time to think on all Christ went through to be your sacrifice. I encourage you to write out a prayer to Jesus thanking Him for all He did for you on the cross.

-          Do you realize the importance of the veil of being torn?! In your Bible it may be said as the curtain of the temple. In Jesus’ ripping the curtain it symbolized that through His sacrifice we are able to go straight to the presence of God in prayer. We don’t have to go through a priest. We don’t have to go to the temple. We can go straight to God. Thank Him for that.

 

 

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~Day 4~
CHRIST Revealed!

Read Matthew 27.57-28.10.

-          Reread v. 28.9… The best way we can THANK Jesus is to WORSHIP Jesus. I’m not just talking about worship through song. Worship through your life! In what ways do you worship Jesus with your life now? What ways could you worship Him more?

 

 

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~Day 5~
The Commission

Read Matthew 28.11-20.

-          I first want you to look at how the “religious” leaders responded. They lied… The truth is when we see truth but don’t accept it …when we say we believe in Christ but don’t get saved… we are lying. We are with our lives saying that Jesus isn’t all He says He is.

-          But what do we, followers of Christ, do to respond? What is His command for us? Reread Matthew 28.19-20. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you!”….. see that first word GO! GO make disciples!! For you this may mean GO to a different lunch table, talk to someone out of your friend group, share the Gospel with your family, go on a missions trip, talk to a total stranger. I don’t know how or where God is leading you to GO… but the appropriate response to what Christ did for us is to GO!

 

I would love to hear what God’s doing in your life! I would love to pray for you about how God’s calling you to GO. Please email, comment, or message me to share!

What are your thoughts? I want feedback. Feel free to send me any question responses. I would love to hear from you, answer any questions you have, and pray for your needs specifically. Feel free to share this, comment, email me at brandycaudill90@gmail.com, or facebook message me!

Week 8:  The Simple Truth…

This week is the Gospel, the message of salvation, the SIMPLE TRUTH! No matter where we are in our walk with Christ (considering Christ, beginning a walk, or maturing more and more) it is always beneficial to remember the Gospel! If you are reading this and you have never accepted Christ’s sacrifice for your sins, this is a great way to reflect on the simple truths of the salvation message. For those of you reading this who are followers of Christ, use this in 2 ways…. 1. To remind yourself of God’s grace and mercy so you can be renewed in thankfulness. 2. To better learn how to share the Gospel with those around you!

 

Memory Verse
{John 3.17 – “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”}

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~Day 1~
The Problem

Read Romans 3.23.

The problem is this…… we can NEVER be “good enough” for God. I feel like that word “ALL” keeps coming up in our conversations. It says “all have sinned.” Because we are humans, because we are descendants from Adam and Eve, we are incapable of living a sinless life. But what about those who do many good deeds????

Read Isaiah 64.6.

Scripture is clear that out “good deeds” and our efforts to be righteous on our own are like “filthy rags.” We all need God to give us righteousness… HIS righteousness! There is no other way we can be good enough. We can’t live a pretty peaceful life or be known as a “good person” and this get us to Heaven. There is only one Solution….. we will get to that later this week.

-          Think on the statement “I’m not good enough to enter Heaven.” If you’ve been saved spend time thanking God for giving you His righteousness. If you’re not saved ask yourself if you’ve believed the lie that you could be good enough.

-          When you think about, talk about, and live for Jesus, do you have the mentality that you are good enough? Or as you share truth and live out the Gospel do you constantly remember and express that Jesus’ righteousness is what saves you?

 

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~Day 2~
The Consequence

In life when we mess up or don’t measure up there is always a CONSEQUENCE. Some people like to miss this part of the Gospel. It’s not fun or easy to think about the consequences of our sins without Jesus…. But it’s necessary.

Take a look at Romans 6.23

Today we are just going to look at the first part of the verse…. “the wages of sin is death.” So what kind of death are we discussing here? It’s not talking about our physical death.

Read 2 Thessalonians 1.8.

The death that is being discussed as the consequence is separation from God…. What a heart wrenching thought.  The truly awesome part though is that God doesn’t leave us drowning our consequence without help. This is what we will discuss tomorrow!

-          Have you ever considered the consequence for someone who doesn’t accept Jesus? Do you constantly remind yourself that there is a Heaven and a Hell and people will go to one or the other?

-          As you think about this consequence I want you to apply it to your life. 1^st if you are not saved, what are you waiting for? Do you realize that this is your consequence if you do not accept God’s free gift of salvation? 2^nd Christian, do you have an urgency and a passion to share the Gospel with everyone knowing that if they die without Jesus this would be their consequence? Should you?

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~Day 3~
The Intervention

PRAISE GOD that there is an intervention. “Intervene” means to interfere with the outcome. I’m so thankful that God chose to intervene.

Read Colossians 2.13-14.

ESV reads that He “cancelled the record of debt that stood against us” and “this He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” WOW! JESUS came to earth (fully God, fully human) and was tempted, and beat, and eventually killed on a cross so that He could be our salvation. So that He could take our debt! I think I will live the rest of my life on Earth and never get over that!

Some of you may wonder how this helped. Why did Jesus have to die on a cross to save us? First of all He died a physical death and rose again three days later because in that He defeated physical death. He also defeated Spiritual death (separation from God). See in the Old Testament, before Jesus’ sacrifice, the way the people of God would receive forgiveness is to sacrifice an animal. The blood of that animal would be their offering to God so that through that blood they would be forgiven. However it was something that the people had to do over and over, because the sacrifice wasn’t enough just once.

Read Hebrews 9.13-14.

Jesus is the perfect sacrifice because He never sinned! He was without “blemish.” There was nothing wrong with Him. Because of His sacrifice, we are saved from all our sins by accepting His blood as our sacrifice.

-          Spend some time thanking Jesus for His perfect blood that covers all your sins!

-          Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice, take a moment to imagine what your life would be like without that.

 

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~Day 4~
The Motivation

BUT WHY? Why would a perfect God, who holds the entire world, send His Son (His only Son) to die for us?  And why would Jesus agree to it? WHY?

Read Ephesians 2.1-5.

Take another good look at verse 4…. “BUT GOD being rich in mercy, because of the GREAT LOVE with which HE LOVED US.” That is some kind of love! He was rich in mercy, full of grace, showing forgiveness because He loves us that much! I cannot wrap my head around this.

Read Romans 5.8.

God didn’t wait until we, as humans, got our acts together. He doesn’t say you can receive my forgiveness after you’ve spent three weeks without sinning. He died for us WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS. He saves us although WE ARE STILL SINNERS. Why……????? Because He loves us! In a way I will never understand. In an unconditional, unending, unthreatened kind of way.

-          Think about that God loves you that much! Do something today (journal a prayer, tell a friend, set aside extra time) to thank God for loving you that much!

-          Do you share this love with others? Or do you keep it bottled up inside afraid to show the world?

 

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~Day 5~
The Resolution

So what now? You know all these this. You know that without Jesus you are a sinner not worthy of God. You know that those who never accept Christ pass up a free offer and are sentenced to the consequence of Hell. You know that God sent an intervention in the form of Jesus dying on the cross to save you from that consequence. And you’ve learned that He did this because He loves you. So how to you respond? It’s simple really.

Read Romans 10.9-11.

You have to ADMIT you are a sinner who needs God to be anything at all.
BELIEVE that Jesus came to die for your sins and saves you through His perfect sacrifice and that He also rose from the dead on the third day.
Lastly CONFESS with your mouth and your life the JESUS IS LORD! That HE is your GOD who saved you!

I know it almost sounds too simple. And maybe you’re wondering if it only works for certain people.

Read Romans 10.13

EVERYONE who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved! EVERYONE! Praise GOD!

-          Have you ever truly accepted Christ as the Lord of your life and salvation from your sin?

-          If not, what is holding you back? What are you scared of?

-          If so, are you sharing the Gospel? I encourage you to use this week’s devotional as a guide to help you share the Gospel with those you encounter.

IF you have never accepted Christ, please please contact me! I would love to talk with you, answer questions, pray for you and with you! Don’t hold off! This is one decision you will never ever regret! You will never ever want to change! It will be the best decision you ever make!

What are your thoughts? I want feedback. Feel free to send me any question responses. I would love to hear from you, answer any questions you have, and pray for your needs specifically. Feel free to share this, comment, email me at brandycaudill90@gmail.com, or facebook message me!

 

Week 7:  Psalms…

This is week is I am starting something new with Pursuit 22. Occasionally we will have a “Psalm week.” The post will have 5 daily readings for you with questions to reflect on! I really encourage you to pull out your BIBLE and search for all that God has to say through these. There are three questions I want you to ask yourself after every Psalm (in addition to the ones I post). 1. What does this say about me/humans? 2. What does this passage say about God? How can I apply it to my life? Hope you enjoy the first!

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~Day 1~
Psalm 27

Read Psalm 27.

-          Looking at v. 1… Who or what do you fear? When you put in perspective that God is your LIGHT, SALVATION, and REFUGE... is it still something you should be fearful of?

-          Reread v. 4 and 8… Do you seek to be in the Lord’s presence and in the Lord’s will on a daily basis?

-          Look at v. 10… Think of the people that you love the most. Have they let you down or disappointed you? If they haven’t yet, they will at some point. Why? Because they’re humans! Isn’t it comforting to know our God will always take us in?

-          Reread v. 11… How often do you ask God to teach you His ways?

-          V. 14…. This is my FAVORITE verse in this passage! I highly encourage you to memorize this simple verse and let it speak into your life! Think of situations in your life right now that you need to “wait in the Lord” on. Maybe you need to wait up on Him for healing, a situation, direction, peace, help with overcoming a particular sin, a friendship, or simply just learning to wait upon Him in general. Make a list of these situations. Some translations say “take heart” this means to be confident or courageous. So as you wait up on the Lord in these situations be confident that God has a plan and will come through for you and be courageous to continue in His plans for you.

-          Don’t forget to answer the three questions from the introduction.

 

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~Day 2~
Psalm 34

Read Psalm 34.

-          V. 1… is the praise of the Lord continually on your lips? In other words are you constantly praising Jesus?

-          V. 5… think about this… my translation says “those who look to Him are radiant.” Who doesn’t want to be radiant? When we look to Christ we will be radiant!

-          Reread v. 8… in what ways have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? Make a list of ways He’s blessed you and realize His goodness!

-          Read 9 and 10… In what ways do those who fear the Lord lack nothing?

-          V. 14… We will talk more about this in the weeks to come, but do you seek peace? And pursue it? What does it mean to you to seek peace?

-          Don’t forget to answer the three questions from the introduction.

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~Day 3~
Psalm 51

Read Psalm 51.

-          Verses 1-2… ask God to show you sin your life that you need to be cleansed of… don’t just think “big sins” (although sin is sin in God’s eyes). Maybe this is an attitude or jealousy or bitterness or pride or selfishness. Keep that/those sins in mind as we continue in this passage.

-          V. 4… every sin we commit is against God… when you are hateful to your family, you are sinning against God… does sin bother you because it bothers God?

-          V. 10… also one of my favorites to memorize. Ask God to create in you a clean heart! Think about what that would look like.

-          Don’t forget to answer the three questions from the introduction.

 

 

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~Day 4~
Psalm 103

Read 103.

-          Reread 1-5… do you bless the Lord with everything you have? Use v2-5 to make a list of reasons we should. (ex. From vs 3: He forgives our imperfections.)

-          V.8… are you slow to anger?

-          Reread 10-13… Aren’t you glad that He doesn’t deal with us as we deserve? What sins have you committed this week that you are thankful He casts as far as the east is from the west?

-          V. 14-17… Take a moment to remember how short and fragile your life really is. But God… He is everlasting!

-          Don’t forget to answer the three questions from the introduction.

 

 

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~Day 5~
Psalm 139

Read Psalm 139.

-          Read v1-7 again… WOW! Isn’t it crazy that God knows us that well? Which of these verses amazes you most?

-          V. 13-14… think of your body! Think of how every little thing has to be perfect for you to function! God made YOU!!!! Crazy huh? Do you praise Him because you are fearfully and wonderfully made?

-          V. 16… Does is blow your mind to think that God had a purpose for how you would spend your days … before you were even born!?

-          Pray v. 23-24… Ask the Lord to search you and let you know of any sins you should repent of. And ask Him to lead you in His right direction!

-          Don’t forget to answer the three questions from the introduction.

I pray you’ve enjoyed your first week Psalms!

What are your thoughts? I want feedback. Feel free to send me any question responses. I would love to hear from you, answer any questions you have, and pray for your needs specifically. Feel free to share this, comment, email me at brandycaudill90@gmail.com, or facebook message me!