“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He 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

What an incredible picture the words of this scripture paint! A tree with strong roots drawing water; always green; always fruit bearing even in times of drought!

Not fearing when heat comes but confident and fruitful, GREEN, even when the norm around us is “stressed out,” “overwhelmed” or just “too busy”.

There is a sequence here on how to live GREEN.

• Have your confidence in the LORD!

When we keep our eyes focused on who our God is and on all His name declares, our confidence in Him soars. We find peace and joy — even when the land around us is drying up!

When we keep our own identity wrapped securely in Him, walking in confidence as a treasured child of God, we can draw on His strength and on His refreshment even when “drought” is all around us.

But when we choose to focus around us at the heat and the shriveling leaves, we become overwhelmed and worn out and… We give away our confidence — both in God and in who we are in Him. Out the window goes our joy!

“The joy of the LORD is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10

When we give away our confidence, we give away our joy, and when we give away our joy, we give away our strength!

If your joy has been fading, and you feel purposeless and unproductive take a check on where your eyes have been focusing, on the dryness around you… Or on the greatness of God and His strength in you?

Remaining purposeful and productive or “fruitful” comes from the strength of God in us. So pay attention to what is going on inside of you. Because…

• When you give away your confidence (in God; or in who you are in Him), you give away your joy
• When you give away your joy, you give away your strength.
• When you give away your strength you give away your purpose.

When you give these things away, what you have left is a life that is dry: disgruntled, discouraged, overwhelmed and unproductive.

Purpose and fruitfulness fade when your confidence in God slips away and when you forget who you are in His strength.

“Always green” is simple. Not easy, but simple.

Keep your eyes focused on God and all that He is and on who you are in Him.

Therein lies your confidence; and in that confidence lies your joy and in that joy lies your strength. In that strength you are able to walk purposefully!

Lord God, What a beautiful picture of how to stay green and productive in You. Please help me to keep my eyes on the greatness of all You are, and on who I am with Your strength in me. Keep me green, I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

by Gail Rodgers
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Joy of the Lord

Fullness of Joy

Lord, Make Me Like That

The post Always Green appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Listen to God’s purposed fruitfulness for you in John 15:16. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.”

Beloved one, your Father chose you and appointed you to bear the fruit of the nature of his Son within you. The more you abide in him, the more fruit you will bear. His Spirit is working in you his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Do not be discouraged when you feel that the fruit of your life is barrenness or ugliness. Jesus is the seed of God planted within you. He prunes, feeds, and nurtures you to your full potential of the beautiful fruit of the Spirit and all the full qualities of Jesus in you. You do not produce this fruit alone; he does. Rest in his nature and his power to live through you. He is the Fruit of the Spirit. Every good and perfect fruit is him living his life in you.

Receive this truth in 2 Peter 1:3-4. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

You already have within you everything you need to bear the fruit that remains. In him you can choose to step into those inner qualities commanded in 2 Peter 1:5-7. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” All these are spirit qualities that the Spirit of Christ Jesus works in you with your obedience and active participation. And you have God’s promise that you are blessed if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, because they will keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:8).

Be blessed as you let your Vine dresser take you through the process to be fruitful. God is tender to give the right amount of sun and rain for the branch that you are. He must fertilize, tend the soil, and prune you for maximum fruitfulness. Be blessed with fruitfulness in his determined and appointed place and time for you. Be blessed in your unique identity, legitimacy, authority, anointing, and birthright in the Spirit of liberty, for with him there is full freedom and fruitfulness. “The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth” (Ephesians 5:9). That’s the harvest of the nature of Jesus in you.

Paul poured out his heart for his friends in prayer in Philippians 1:11 that they would bear the fruit of their salvation. That’s what the fruit of the Spirit is. Hear him praying this for you. “[I pray that you will be] filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” He prays again in Colossians 1:10. “[I pray that you will] lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Receive this promise in Psalm 92:12-15. “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The LORD is upright; he is my Rock”‘

Be blessed in the Lord, in whom you flourish and bear fruit. (Psalm 92:14).

by Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

The post Fruitfulness appeared first on Thoughts About God.