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  • 17 hours ago
    Posted by Dion Todd
    The king talked with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchante...
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    Posted by Dion Todd
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Fruit Trees

  • RHM Devotional: Fruit Trees from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

    Today I want to talk about the fruit of the spirit, which should be developing in our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 12:33 that a tree is known by the fruit that it bears. In light of this, trees meant people, and the fruit were their actions and attitudes. The disciples were called Christians because their behavior, activities, and speech were “Christlike.” Paul covered this in detail in his letter to the Galatians, beginning in chapter 5 verse 16 through 26: 

    16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

    “To walk in the Spirit” first means that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. Second, it means that we are to be open and sensitive to His influence. Third, it means that we allow Him to change our attitudes, to shape our life as the Spirit leads us. We can tell if someone walks in the Spirit because they will begin to act a lot like Jesus. Jesus told us that the mission of the Holy Spirit would be to promote and speak of Him (John 14:16–17, 14:26, 15:26, 16:13–15) and He always points us to Jesus. When we walk in the Spirit, we listen to what the Holy Spirit says, and He guides us to become more like Jesus.

    If we are led by the Spirit, then we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. This does not mean that we will not want to. The desire is usually still lurking back there somewhere waiting for a weak moment to pounce on you as soon as you will give into the temptation.

    18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

    This effectively “writes” the law of God on our hearts, inside of us. This is the great work of the New Covenant, that was promised in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 31:33: “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

    The Holy Spirit will lead us far beyond the requirements of the law. When He is involved in your decisions, you are not going to steal, or commit adultery, or hate others, because He will convict you instantly. You won’t have to wait for judgement day, He lives inside of you and will instantly tell you that is a bad idea.

    19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

    Paul covers a list of bad fruit. The word flesh here does not refer to our physical body, but to our old self centered nature and its desires. We cannot actually see the flesh that Paul is talking about, for it is not our skin, but like the wind, we can see the effects of it. If someone has this type of fruit growing in their lives, then they are not being led by the Spirit. They will not enter the kingdom of God, which according to Romans 14:17 is “Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.” There will be no true peace or joy in their lives.

    Heaven should not be the goal of the Christian; that is merely our retirement plan. Our career is becoming more and more like Jesus today. Our eternal life has already begun. You are who you are, and leaving this life and entering heaven is no more than changing clothes. Don’t think that you will suddenly become someone else. If you have accepted Jesus, you are already “born again” and you have begun your new life.

    The Apostle John wrote: “…we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3 ESV).

    We are to be purifying ourself and becoming more like Jesus day by day, from the inside out.

    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.(Galatians 5:16–25 ESV).

    Jesus was a living example of the fruit of the Spirit, and as we become more like Him, this good fruit will begin to appear in our lives. A great friend and mentor of mine passed away this week and we attended his funeral. He was 84 years old, and had accepted Jesus when he was 12. I had known him over 25 years. He was an electronics technician, and he helped me get started in the computer business. We both loved Jesus, loved technology, loved music, and we became friends for life. As I sat there and thought about him, it occurred to me that he had every single one of these fruits evident in his life. He was gentle, kind, loving, and was completely faithful. He said what he meant, and he meant what he said. He had taken on the very nature of Jesus.

    My point is that the fruit of the Spirit is obtainable right now for each of us. If we allow the Holy Spirit to slowly change us over the years, we will gradually become more, and more like Jesus. Oh yes, there is grace to cover our mistakes, and yes there is forgiveness that will cover the darkest of sins, but bad fruit should not be the normal.

    The South Carolina motto is “While I breathe, I hope.” In the same way, while we breathe, we can still change our course. No matter what has been in the past, we can trade our bad fruit in for good fruit, but the day will finally come when we will die, or Jesus will return for the harvest. On that day, we can talk all we want about the kind of tree we are, but it is the fruit that we have produced that will tell Him all that He needs to know. A tree is known by the fruit that it bears. He will separate the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats, the book of life will be closed, and there will be no more names added.

    You can pray this with me if you like:

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me of anything that I have done wrong in the past. Cleanse me from the inside out and give me the grace to become better. Jesus come into my life, lead me, guide me, and be my Lord and Savior today. In Your name I pray. Amen.

    Note: Good morning :)! For those who have blessed RHM with financial support and may need a form for your tax deductions, you should have received your statement over the weekend. If you did not, and would like one, it could be that we did not have enough contact information. If that is you, please email us (you can just reply to any of the devotional emails) and we will get that straightened out! Thank you all so much for helping us further the work of His Kingdom through your support - you are loved and appreciated!


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24 comments
  • 0
Debi Burton
Debi Burton Thank you RHM for this devotional this morning...... Thank you Jehovah for all you do and your blessings and Our understanding to receive the Holy Spirit! Amen
January 28, 2019
  • 1
Doug Campbell
Doug Campbell Thank you! This was really helpful to me.
January 28, 2019
  • 1
Mary  Ann
Mary Ann

Oh wow,what a blessing to be hold from your message,and praise the Lord you have done wonders for me in this. This has opened my eyes the right way while I was going the wrong way,all my years. Thank you for !y wonder blessings I received from this eye awakening sermon. I stayed glued to your sermon the whole time,you truly are blessed by God our Heavenly Father. Amen ! Thank you so very much and thank you Jesus Christ for finding me,my home here. You lead the way ,and,I followed you here.. Amen !❣✝❣♡

January 27, 2019
  • 1
Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd

Amen, sister <3!

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Liesel  aka  Lisa Wardle
Liesel aka Lisa Wardle

Amen! Thank you Pastor Dion for this powerfull message! Thank you for speaking the truth according to God's word, thank you for not tickling the ears like so many preachers do!    It has been a rough road to travel so far, my father-in-law has passed away! I had witnessed to him, but I'm not convinced that he was truly saved. Only the Lord knows! Thanks be to you and Sylvia for all that you do!

January 27, 2019
  • 1
Schalk  de Beer
Schalk de Beer

Yes Lord Jesus, amen

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Gail Sellu
Gail Sellu

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me of anything that I have done wrong in the past. Cleanse me from the inside out and give me the grace to become better. Jesus come into my life, lead me, guide me, and be my Lord and Savior today. In Your name I pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you Lord.

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Beverly Hagar-Schmerse
Beverly Hagar-Schmerse

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'   Matt. 25:23.    Pastor Dion, the image of the tree and its fruit as mentioned in Scripture and your explanation of the Scripture quotations you cited are very powerful messages.  They help me to see that we are both the seedling growing into mature plant...And the blossom that will grow into the fruit, that when it matures becomes food for all others.  And even a young tree will bear fruit, though its numbers are small, they can still be edible.  And the more efficiently it is nurtured, the more fruit the tree will bear.  And yet, even if a tree is neglected and left to its own devices, it will still provide fruit of the taking...though it may not be as bountiful as one nourished by the dutiful Master.  In this case, Scripture tells us that God gave humankind dominion over the Earth.  Yet, God has dominion over all.  When we mess up, and treat poorly what God has given us, both individually and collectively to nurture, the Father, Who is Master of all Creation will care for those portions we mess up or destroy.  Just as any good parent would when their children make messes.  And like a Parent, the Father disciplines His children according to the serious of their transgression.  We humans are understanding better about disciplining wrongdoers, but we have a long way to go.  My background was of an authoritarian discipline, so when I became a teacher, I disciplined from what I knew; but was stymied because it was not working well!  Over the course of my career, I learned a better way that changed my whole world around!  The sweetest nugget of it was "Fit the punishment to the crime!"  That includes listening to all sides of the story, but especially to the one of child in question!  Instead of punitive punishment; punishment became individually tailored to the needs of the child.  (It stands to reason, of course, that other things need to taken into consideration.)  But it works!  I ripened, grew, and matured a bit that day, for sure.  Your message was the catalyst for my being able to relate my response and personal memories to your message.  Your message was the fruit that has fed my spirit!  Thank you, Pastor...

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd

Beautifully said, Beverly, amen <3!

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Yvette York
Yvette York

Dear God please forgive me for all of my wrong doings and please cleanse my eyes and heart Amen

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Roseanne Braverman
Roseanne Braverman

Good morning Pastor and Sylvia, than you for posting the sermons on Monday mornings

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Kay Collinsworth
Kay Collinsworth

Amen

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Audry Reddy
Audry Reddy

There's an old song that says" They will know we are Christians by our love.." Fruits of the spirit develop over time as we walk with the Lord. Your friend was evident of that. Sorry for your loss Pastor Dion

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Kathie Byram Lopez
Kathie Byram Lopez

amen

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Marisa Jackson
Marisa Jackson

Amen!!

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Jose Simo
Jose Simo

Heavenly Father I know I'm a sinner and I need You, cleanse me and lead me to be allowed to receive Your Holy Spirit. Clean my eyes and heart, in Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

Thank you Pastor, I love this devotional. God bless you. 

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Mari Kaufmann
Mari Kaufmann

God forgive my sins. Help me to tolerate more than I do if that’s possible. Please dear Jesus Amen 

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Susan Petho
Susan Petho

Amen!

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Lynn Brown
Lynn Brown

I pray I am open and attentive to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit, Amen. Thank you Pastor Dion for another awesome message!!

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Wesley Paulus
Wesley Paulus

Amen!

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Rhonda Jones
Rhonda Jones

Thank You Lord.  Awesome message.  

January 28, 2019
  • 1
Dan Strilzuk
Dan Strilzuk

God bless you Dion,  you truly are a man of God.

January 29, 2019
  • 1
Tom Cartmell
Tom Cartmell

 Pastor Dion ,, I don't know what is going on I didn't get the devotional today 1/29 Could you please resend the devotional. Thank you so very much and my God bless you all at RHM 

January 29, 2019
  • 1
Chris Decker
Chris Decker

Amen 

January 29, 2019