May the Spirit of God be with us throughout the meditation.
1. What makes one mighty in the kingdom of God?
'' Joel 2 : 11 Mighty are those who obey his command.''
So, if you want to be mighty in the kingdom of God, show obedience to His commands.
Here are the blessings that God has instored for his children who obey his commands wholeheartedly.
Blessings for obedience:
Deuteronomy 28 : 1-14:
'' If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.
All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God :
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock -- the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out.
The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.
The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity - in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
The Lord will make you the head, not the tail.
If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
So, obedience will bring forth all these blessings on your life, making you a mighty man in the kingdom of God.
The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity - in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
The Lord will make you the head, not the tail.
If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
So, obedience will bring forth all these blessings on your life, making you a mighty man in the kingdom of God.
2. What does '' Obedience '' mean?
'' Matthew 21 : 28 - 32
'' What do you think ? There was a man who had two sons . He went to the first and said, ' Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' ' I will not , ' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ' I will, sir , ' but did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted ? '' '' The first ,'' they answered.
Jesus said to them, '' I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.And even after you saw this you did not repent and believe him.'' ''
Obedience is not about how excellently we respond with our lips to the instruction, but obedience is about action.
It is about doing what has been asked of us.
One who does the will of the father, and keeps his command is the one who enters the kingdom of God.
In this Scripture, when the father asked his sons to do this certain task, he certainly expected some fruit out of the task he asked them to perform.
And when he asked his sons, the second son was more than polite,addressing his father ' sir ', and agrees to do, but later did not.
The first son, though verbally did not acknowledge at first, later kept the instruction.
And this son is the one who did what the father wanted.
When our heavenly Father tells us do something, its not about how quick and well we are responding with our lips, but about how submissive are we in acting on the instruction, believing His word, and producing the fruit.
'' Matthew 21 : 43 '' Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. '' ''
'' Matthew 21 : 28 - 32
'' What do you think ? There was a man who had two sons . He went to the first and said, ' Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' ' I will not , ' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ' I will, sir , ' but did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted ? '' '' The first ,'' they answered.
Jesus said to them, '' I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.And even after you saw this you did not repent and believe him.'' ''
Obedience is not about how excellently we respond with our lips to the instruction, but obedience is about action.
It is about doing what has been asked of us.
One who does the will of the father, and keeps his command is the one who enters the kingdom of God.
In this Scripture, when the father asked his sons to do this certain task, he certainly expected some fruit out of the task he asked them to perform.
And when he asked his sons, the second son was more than polite,addressing his father ' sir ', and agrees to do, but later did not.
The first son, though verbally did not acknowledge at first, later kept the instruction.
And this son is the one who did what the father wanted.
When our heavenly Father tells us do something, its not about how quick and well we are responding with our lips, but about how submissive are we in acting on the instruction, believing His word, and producing the fruit.
'' Matthew 21 : 43 '' Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. '' ''
3. Are there special seasons for bearing ''fruit'' ?
'' Matthew 21 : 18, 19
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.Then he said to it, '' May you never bear fruit again ! '' Immediately the tree withered. ''
'' Mark 11 :12 -14 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.Then he said to the tree, '' May no one ever eat fruit from you again.''
'' Matthew 21 : 18, 19
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.Then he said to it, '' May you never bear fruit again ! '' Immediately the tree withered. ''
'' Mark 11 :12 -14 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.Then he said to the tree, '' May no one ever eat fruit from you again.''
'' Mark 11: 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ''
Jesus here needed something to eat .The Living word had a requirement from the fig tree. And when he looked at it, except leaves it had nothing on it.
On the outside, it perhaps looked green and fresh.
But the Lord had a specific requirement.
The fig tree was perhaps beautiful to look at, with its wonderful branches, perhaps appeared majestic under the open blue sky, perhaps had strong roots and could withstand severe blows, perhaps many kinds of birds were taking shelter on it, and perhaps, it was giving shade to people too...
Jesus here needed something to eat .The Living word had a requirement from the fig tree. And when he looked at it, except leaves it had nothing on it.
On the outside, it perhaps looked green and fresh.
But the Lord had a specific requirement.
The fig tree was perhaps beautiful to look at, with its wonderful branches, perhaps appeared majestic under the open blue sky, perhaps had strong roots and could withstand severe blows, perhaps many kinds of birds were taking shelter on it, and perhaps, it was giving shade to people too...
But did Jesus wonder about all these things ? What he needed was the fruit.
And when he looked at it, he saw it did not meet his requirement.
When it didn't meet the requirement of the Lord, even though it was not the season, the tree was only cursed ! And immediately it withered away.
Dear people, Jesus here represents the Word of God.
Hunger of Jesus represents the requirement of the Word.
Word of God has a requirement - set of commands and decrees for us to follow.
Fig tree represents his people.
Fig tree represents his people.
We, as his people living in His Kingdom, ought to function according to the Word of God - in all seasons!
Because the kingdom of God is not anywhere outside that it should be influenced by the external circumstances, but it is within us.
'' Luke 17 : 20, 21 '' The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say , ' Here it is,' or ' There it is, ' because the kingdom of God is within you. ''
And if the kingdom of God is within us , then how can we keep special seasons to bear
fruits?
We ought to function according to the requirement of the Word, in all seasons - i.e.,through all times and all circumstances.
And if we fail to function according to how the Word requires of us, then just like the fig tree was cursed when it did not meet the requirement of the Living Word, because it was not the season, we too we will be cursed and will wither away.
Therefore dear people, its vital and critical to function according to the sound instruction of Jesus, in season and out of season. i.e, in both favourable and unfavourable situations .
''2Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word.Be Prepared in season and out of season.''
4.Unfavourable soil and favourable soil for bearing the fruit:
Now, what makes one fruitful or unfruitful ?
What are the various things that hinder the fruitfulness of a person in the kingdom of God?
What is needed for bearing the good fruit?
''Mark 4 : 3 - 20''
In this portion of the Scriptures Jesus tells them a parable of a farmer sowing seed and then explains it to the disciples. I am writing the parable along with the meaning of the parable adjacent to what each meant, as explained by the Lord :
There are three kinds of unfavourable soil that we can discern in these Scriptures:
Unfavorable soil - Kind 1:
Parable & meaning:
Now, what makes one fruitful or unfruitful ?
What are the various things that hinder the fruitfulness of a person in the kingdom of God?
What is needed for bearing the good fruit?
''Mark 4 : 3 - 20''
In this portion of the Scriptures Jesus tells them a parable of a farmer sowing seed and then explains it to the disciples. I am writing the parable along with the meaning of the parable adjacent to what each meant, as explained by the Lord :
There are three kinds of unfavourable soil that we can discern in these Scriptures:
Unfavorable soil - Kind 1:
Parable & meaning:
'' Listen ! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up:
The farmer sows the word.
Some people are like seed long the path, where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.''
These are the people, who, when they hear the word, don't put their heart to meditate on it and gain understanding, they give in to distractions immediately.
So, Satan takes the word away from their hearts.Such ones cannot produce fruit.
Lack of understanding hinders their fruitfulness.
The farmer sows the word.
Some people are like seed long the path, where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.''
These are the people, who, when they hear the word, don't put their heart to meditate on it and gain understanding, they give in to distractions immediately.
So, Satan takes the word away from their hearts.Such ones cannot produce fruit.
Lack of understanding hinders their fruitfulness.
''Hosea 14 : 9 Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning ? He will understand them.The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.''
Unfavourable soil - Kind 2:
Parable & meaning:
Parable & meaning:
'' Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root:
Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or presecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.''
These are the people who understand the word and receive it with joy and keep the word for a short while, until they are in comfort and receive blessings for their faith. But when trouble comes, and they are persecuted, they quickly fall away and leave the word aside, without doing the will of the Lord.
Such ones cannot produce fruit.
Lack of preseverance hinders their fruitfulness.
'' Mark 3 : 32-35 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, '' Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you. '' '' Who are my mother and my brothers? '' he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, '' Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.''
Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or presecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.''
These are the people who understand the word and receive it with joy and keep the word for a short while, until they are in comfort and receive blessings for their faith. But when trouble comes, and they are persecuted, they quickly fall away and leave the word aside, without doing the will of the Lord.
Such ones cannot produce fruit.
Lack of preseverance hinders their fruitfulness.
'' Mark 3 : 32-35 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, '' Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you. '' '' Who are my mother and my brothers? '' he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, '' Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.''
Unfavourable soil - Kind 3:
Parable & meaning:
Parable & meaning:
''Other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain:
Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things comes in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.''
These are the people who hear the word, and they understand it, but they don't retain the truth in the word, because the worries of life keep their minds and hearts occupied and their desires for worldy things trap them in the deceitfulness of the wealth.
These love the glory of money and wealth and a comfortable livelihood on earth, than loving the truth of the word and fail to keep the word with determination.
Such ones cannot produce good fruit.
Worldly desires hinder their fruitfulness.
'' Matthew 7 : 18 -20 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them. ''
'' Jeremiah 17 : 10 '' I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.'' ''
Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things comes in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.''
These are the people who hear the word, and they understand it, but they don't retain the truth in the word, because the worries of life keep their minds and hearts occupied and their desires for worldy things trap them in the deceitfulness of the wealth.
These love the glory of money and wealth and a comfortable livelihood on earth, than loving the truth of the word and fail to keep the word with determination.
Such ones cannot produce good fruit.
Worldly desires hinder their fruitfulness.
'' Matthew 7 : 18 -20 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them. ''
'' Jeremiah 17 : 10 '' I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.'' ''
Favourable soil:
Parable & meaning:
''Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times:
Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop - thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.''
Now, the real good fruitbearers are those who hear the word, and retain it!
The good soil here is their good and noble hearts.
They come up presevering everything on their way and produce the expected crop - thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.
''Luke 8 : 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a crop.''
''Jeremiah 17 : 7-8 But blessed is the man 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.''
''Matthew 22 : 14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.''
So, dear ones, if we want to be the chosen ones , then we ought to hold on to the sound instruction of Jesus, the Living Word, until the end, and persevering everything we ought to produce the good fruit.
Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop - thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.''
Now, the real good fruitbearers are those who hear the word, and retain it!
The good soil here is their good and noble hearts.
They come up presevering everything on their way and produce the expected crop - thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.
''Luke 8 : 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a crop.''
''Jeremiah 17 : 7-8 But blessed is the man 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.''
''Matthew 22 : 14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.''
So, dear ones, if we want to be the chosen ones , then we ought to hold on to the sound instruction of Jesus, the Living Word, until the end, and persevering everything we ought to produce the good fruit.
5. What increases the fruit?
'' Mark 4: 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ''
Whoever has will be given more : whoever ' has ', meaning, whoever retains what is given and produces fruit, more will be given to him.
Whoever does not have : does not 'have' , meaning, who does not retain what is given, whatever he has will be taken away from him.
Therefore, if we want to be more fruitful, we ought to retain what is given to us.
We ought to wholeheartedly keep the word that is given, and use every God given gift diligently, for the glory of His name.
When we do not retain what is given, with good and noble hearts, and become lax in doing the Lord's work, and fail to bear fruit, then whatever we think we have will be taken away from us !
'' Mark 4: 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ''
Whoever has will be given more : whoever ' has ', meaning, whoever retains what is given and produces fruit, more will be given to him.
Whoever does not have : does not 'have' , meaning, who does not retain what is given, whatever he has will be taken away from him.
Therefore, if we want to be more fruitful, we ought to retain what is given to us.
We ought to wholeheartedly keep the word that is given, and use every God given gift diligently, for the glory of His name.
When we do not retain what is given, with good and noble hearts, and become lax in doing the Lord's work, and fail to bear fruit, then whatever we think we have will be taken away from us !
'' Psalm 103 : 8 - 21
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children -- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding , who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. ''
God Bless You.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children -- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding , who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. ''
God Bless You.
