My friend, perhaps you believe that you already have the mind of Christ AND that your heart belongs to Christ—but what is the proof? I’ll go back to the original question in this series:
Do you know ANY Christian who seems completely satisfied; that is, not only content in their circumstances, but also overflowing with love, joy, peace, wisdom, and strength?
What is the evidence of being satisfied by God as described by Isaiah?
“And the Lord will guide you continually and SATISFY your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” (Isaiah 58:11)
Let’s keep things simple. So answer these questions.
What kind of tree does a pear tree produce? Apples?
Will a weed produce delicious oranges?
Just as a pear tree won’t produce apples and a weed won’t produce oranges, a person living after the desires of flesh will not produce the fruits of the Spirit.
In other words, it’s impossible to live in sin and walk in the Spirit at the same time. Jesus told us clearly what we must do to bear good fruit:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
John 15:4-8
You see, apart from Christ, we cannot bear HIS fruit. Without His presence, we only bear the fruit of our own efforts. Without the presence of Christ, we quickly become a dying branch. A dying branch does not produce fruit. Right after His discourse about the fruit in our life being produced as a result of abiding in Him, Jesus said:
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:9-11
Remarkable! The giving and receiving of God’s love is evidence that we are abiding in His presence. This is where we experience “fullness of joy.” And what does this love really look like?
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
When we combine the above description of the love of God with the description of the fruits of the Spirit—it further crystallizes the evidence of God’s presence:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
Does this describe you? Me, not so much—UNLESS the presence of God is dominating my life. Without Christ, OUR love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, mercy, wisdom, and everything good about us—withers. We don’t even have enough of these things to sustain ourselves—much less anyone else. Just as a branch draws strength, nourishment, protection, and energy from the vine, we must draw from Christ. We cannot neglect spiritual growth, skimp on God’s Word and prayer, fail to be committed to a church, and withhold areas of our lives from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit and expect to bear fruit. We need daily surrender, daily communication, and sometimes hourly repentance and connection with the Holy Spirit.
The more we allow the Holy Spirit free rein in our lives, the more this fruit is evident.
My friend, when we are completely satisfied by God, the evidence is obvious. We can’t keep it to ourselves. Conversely, we can’t give away what we don’t have. We can’t manufacture God’s love, joy, peace, kindness, mercy, wisdom or strength. The proof we are allowing God to satisfy us—is when we are producing His fruit. When we are experiencing the complete satisfaction of HIS unconditional love, strength and wisdom pouring INTO us, these remarkable characteristics are also pouring right back OUT of us!
The evidence we are experiencing the complete satisfaction of God’s extraordinary presence is in the sheer impossibility of keeping Him to ourselves!
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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2 Responses
We are to share God’s love wherever we go. However ,we must have a relationship with him first. As the devotional said, ” We can’t give something we don’t have.”
Amen sister!