Rooted

"The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” Luke 3:9-14

What an incredibly powerful passage of Scripture! When I was reading it, I was pierced by these words. I asked myself if I was producing good fruit, or was the tree of my life deserving of being cut down at the roots?

Is your life producing good fruit? A tree is known by the fruit it brings forth. We all know that it is impossible for an apple tree to yield oranges, just like a Christian should only bring forth good fruit, and not the fruit of the world.

What do I have to do to bring forth good fruit? This passage tells us very clearly: Give to those that do not have like you do, be honest with all manner of business, do not accuse people falsely of things, and be content with what God has blessed you with.

We can begin to bring forth good fruit by preparing our hearts.
Hosea 10:12 says "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."

Break up the fallow ground of your heart and let Him rain righteousness on you!

Finally, be rooted in spiritual things!

Galatians 6:7-8 says "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

Amen. Self-explanatory. I hope you all have a wonderful week rooted in the Word of God. Bring forth good fruit this week. Love God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul. Enjoy the Easter spirit this week. The tomb is empty. God bless you. Shaun

Affliction...(Not the clothing line)

Affliction...
*to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish.
*a general term that applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

While answering the questions I got from several of you, I found that many of the questions, just like the ones I have been getting before, seem to all have a common theme...Suffering and Affliction.

So I want to pour some love on you. God loves you and wants good things for you!
Jeremiah 29:11 says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

So stop whining! Take a look at the life of Job! Have you had all of your possessions taken away? Family taken away? Your health? Spouse and friends sold you out?

Romans 8:37 says "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." !!!!!

As I look back on my life, I can honestly say that it was the "afflicted" and "times of suffering" that I was closest to God. And out of that closeness was born a stronger, more grounded faith in Him.

I heard an old lady that was a prayer warrior once say, "If anything makes you pray, be thankful for it."

So I guess I am just encouraging you, if you are going through a valley, suffering, hardship, understand that God has great plans for you, but is waiting on your trust in Him.

Nobody enjoys affliction, but we all enjoy the mountain top experience with God. The true key to life is to maintain joy in pain, keep trusting God through the hardest of trials, know that His grace is new every morning, and you will be able to say..."I'm thankful for affliction."

Hope you all have a great weekend, Shaun.