Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. — Jeremiah 17:7-8 

As someone who trusts in the Lord God, I am blessed.

My confidence is in the Lord.

And He promises that I will be like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream.

The tree doesn't worry when it gets hot.

Its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought.

Likewise, when I feel tired, dried out and weary, I too should not worry.

That tree never fails to bear fruit.

My life can bear fruit when I put my trust in Jesus my Lord and Savior.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23 

The fruit of the Spirit is at times evident in my life.

Other times, not so much.

When I show love to others, that's the Spirit showing God's love through me.

My joyful attitude is a result of the Holy Spirit living in me.

When I forget to act with peace, I no longer am showing the fruit of the Spirit in my life.

Those times when I get impatient with others, the Spirit convicts me.

When I forget to act with kindness, God's Spirit humbles me.

And when I lack self-control, the Spirit puts stumbling blocks in my way to slow me down.

I am blessed to be filled with the Spirit to help guide me along the narrow path. 

Help me, Lord, to focus on You.

You Are the Branches

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." — John 15:5-8 

We are the branches attached to Jesus.

He gives us our sustenance.

He provides us with living water.

Everything we need to survive comes from Him.

Jesus is the vine.

If I remain in Him and He remains in me, I will bear much fruit.

Even when I feel dried up and tired.

When I drift apart from Him, I can do nothing.

Filled With the Fruit of Righteousness

So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. — Phlippians 1:10-11 

In Paul's letter, he encourages the people in Philippi to be filled with the fruit that comes from Jesus.

The fruit of righteousness through Christ.

So God will be given all the praise and glory.

Not to lift up Paul or me, but to glorify God.

So all my actions will be an offering of praise to Him.

A life dedicated to God's glory.

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. — Jeremiah 17:7-8

The person who trusts in God has deep roots.

Their confidence is in the Lord.

They are like a tree planted by the water.

It sends out its roots by the stream.

Because it is connected to its source, it doesn't worry about what to do when the heat comes. 

It drinks freely of the water so its leaves are always green.

It doesn't worry when a year of drought comes along.

And it continues to bear fruit.

Wisdom that Comes From Heaven

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. — James 3:17-18

The wisdom that comes from God is pure.

When Solomon asked God for wisdom, He gave it to Solomon along with riches and property.

True wisdom is considerate of others.

It submits to God's will.

This type of wisdom is of full mercy.

It bears good fruit.

This wisdom is impartial and sincere.

God calls us to be peacemakers.

So that through Him, we may reap a harvest of righteousness.

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” — Jeremiah 17:7-8 

We who trust in God are very much blessed.

Our confidence is in the Lord.

We are like a tree planted by the water.

Our roots go out to find refreshment so they can grow deep.

We continue to thrive and grow, even in tough and rocky times.

When we feel discouraged or our hope is dried up, God sustains us.

He prunes us so we can bear His good fruit.

The Lord helps us to thrive.

Abide in Jesus

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me." — John 15:4 

God calls us to abide in Jesus.

Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself without the vine.

So I can't bear fruit unless I abide in Jesus.

Yesterday we celebrated the first day of spring.

Also called the vernal or spring equinox.

Hard to believe it's spring already!

The rain we've been having is causing the flowers to bloom.

And the flowers are gorgeous this year.

The grass is green, and the landscape is beautiful.

Glory to God.

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:23-24 

The Holy Spirit produces fruit in those of us who follow Jesus.

And that fruit of the Spirit is love and joy.

It includes peace, forbearance, and kindness.

The fruit of the Spirit is also goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.

Another amazing gift of the Spirit is self-control.

Against these things there is no law.

Abide in Me

“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 in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” — John 15:4-5 

Jesus asks us to abide or remain in Him.

Just as a branch can't bear. much fruit by itself, it needs to be connected to the vine.

Otherwise, it will wither and die without a connection to it's life source.

When I'm not connected with God, I wither and die.

Without His nourishment, I dont' have the energy to go on.

But God wants me to bear much fruit.

Without Him I can do nothing.

Remain In Me

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  — John 15: 3-4  

Jesus lives in us.

And He commands us to remain in Him.

We cannot bear fruit on our own.

We have to remain connected to Jesus.

To drink from His living water,

So that we can bear fruit.

No branch can bear fruit by itself, cut off from the tree.

It much remain in the vine to be fruitful.

When I'm connected to Jesus, I can be fruitful too.

My Father Is the Gardener

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ”  — John 15: 1-3

Jesus is the true vine.

Our Father God is the gardener.

He prunes me to make me more fruitful.

Even though it's painful, He's molding me into the person He wants me to be.

God has a marvelous plan for my life, but He needs to prune away the chaff in me.

So I can be fruitful.

He needs to cut away every branch in my life that isn't bearing fruit.

He has cleansed me of my sins and I am grateful

My Father Is the Gardener

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will produce more fruit." — John 5:1

Jesus is the true vine.

God is the gardener in the garden of our lives.

When I'm connected with Jesus, He nourishes me and helps me grow in Him.

God prunes me to help me produce fruit for Him.

That can be a painful process but one that lets me grow to my fullest.

We Do Not Fear

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. — Jeremiah 17:7-8  

Those who trust in the Lord are like a tree planted by the water.

It does not fear the heat.

I have no need to fear since God is with me.

It's leaves are always green.

God keeps me nourished so I can grow in Him.

It has no worries in a year without rain.

I don't need to worry since God will guide and direct me, even when things look bleak.

It never fails to bear fruit.

I can keep sharing the love of God with others.

Wisdom That Comes from Heaven

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. — James 3:17

Wisdom that comes from heaven is pure.

I've been reading Song of Songs.

Although it may not have been written by Solomon, it is written in the style of his poetry.

And he was the wisest man on the earth.

Wisdom from God is peace-loving and considerate.

It is submissive, full of mercy and good fruit.

God's wisdom is impartial and sincere.

Give me wisdom, Lord, to follow you each day.

Here are the Rogers boys with Chase and Gary several years ago.

Seven days ago we remembered Gary's passing three years ago.

It's hard to believe he's been gone so long. 

We miss him. And Rita.

The Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23

These are tough characteristics to maintain.

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-Control

Almost impossible without God's Spirit working within me.

Thus, the fruit of the Spirit!

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23

God gives us the fruit of the Spirit as we grow in Him.

Love toward friends and neighbors as well as enemies.

Joy in Jesus even when the world gives us sadness and pain.

Peace in Christ during stressful times.

Patience when others are losing their cool.

Kindness when we are being treated unkindly.

Goodness when the world tells us to get revenge.

Faithfulness even when busy lives try to distract us.

Gentleness when our patience is tried.

And self-control when we are tempted to lash out in anger or to lust after temptations.

As Christians, we are called to a higher standard.

And we are guided by God himself.

The Gospel Is Bearing Fruit

In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. — Colossians 1:6

Saturday I went for a 6 mile hike up Cowles Mt. and then over to Pyles Peak.

Here is the group of friends I hiked with,

I'm second from left in the back. My friend Lorraine was taking the photo.

These are my Christian friends who pray for me when I need comfort and peace.

Some of them lead a women's Bible study I attend on Friday.

We celebrated Ann's (front holding the water bottle) birthday with cake pops at the top of Pyles Peak. Yum! 

The Gospel is bearing fruit in each of their lives.

What a fun time we had reconnecting as we went up the mountains.

 

May Your Love Abound

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. — Philippians 1:9-11

I thank God for you, my friends and family, whenever I remember you in my prayers.

And I pray for you, that your love may grow more and more in knowledge and in depth of insight.

I pray that my love will also abound.

That I may be able to discern what is best.

That God will help me to be pure and blameless,

Filled with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, patience, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control

And filled with righteousness.

All of this comes through Jesus Christ.

To the glory and praise of God.

Filled with Righteousness

And this is my prayer: That you may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God. — Philippians 1:11

At the end of this week, tomorrow, Rosh Hoshanah begins, the Jewish High Holy Days.

The ram's horn or shofar is sounded.

Rosh Hashanah literally means "head [of] the year.",

It is the Jewish New Year. 

The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah, literally "day of shouting or blasting."

It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days specified by Leviticus 23:23–32 that occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. 

It is a time of reflection.

During this time, it is my prayer that we may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.

That we may give God all glory and praise.