We've talked about John 15:2 over the past several weeks. Jesus is the vine; the Father is the vinedresser; we are the branches. The fruit God wants to see in our lives is love. Joy, peace, patience, gentleness, etc. are all characteristics of love.
Our thought processes can determine our future. God prunes us either to remove something undesirable or to add a talent or move us in a new direction. He did this with Peter to change his mindset about ministering to the Gentiles.
2 Timothy 2:19-26 gives us some direction on what we must do to be fruitful branches:
1. Flee (V. 22) - People flee from spiders, snakes, and mice. When you're afraid of them, you don't hang around. You get out of there - fast! We're told to flee youthful lusts.
2. Pursue (V. 22) - We're to run after righteousness, faith, love, and peace.
3. Avoid (V. 23) - When the Caller I.D. tells us there's someone on the phone we don't want to engage in conversation, we don't answer. We're to sidestep, ignore foolish, ignorant disputes. They lead only to strife.
4. Teach (Vs. 24) - We must not quarrel but be gentle. Some people put exceptions to this command. I call it the, "NCPV," or "New Common Practice Version." I should be gentle unless my spouse, my kids, my boss, my friends aggravate me.
5. Correct (V. 25) - With humility, gentleness, firmness. Humility is not thinking you're worthless. Rather, it's not looking down on others.
Application: James 3:7-17 - What we practice, we become. If you practice being patient, humble, gentle, you'll become those things.
This is a short summary. If you want to hear the entire message, visit our website, and click on the Sermon Player. You can also download it to your MP3 player or podcast it for FREE.
If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, our Sunday Service starts at 10:00 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. Directions are available on the website or call the church office at (215) 343-7686. We'd love to meet you!
No comments:
Post a Comment