Fruit

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.

In this season I always find joy. Recently I harvested pears from my orchard, and Beverly, my wife, has been working hard to convert them into pear preserves. I also bought some peaches from a grower just down the road that will get the same treatment. I’ve noticed the fruit trees in our area seem to have done particularly well this year as they are hanging low with an abundance of fruit, and now is the time to take advantage of that abundance. If the fruit isn’t harvested and preserved soon, it will be too late. I’m truly looking forward to fresh preserves on a big ol’ homemade “cat head” biscuit.

I’m also reminded of a different kind of fruit, the fruit that comes from the Tree of Life. The writer of Proverbs tells us righteousness is a tree of life. Righteousness leads to eternal life, but the problem with that is we have no righteousness of our own. To partake of that fruit, we need a source of righteousness that isn’t ours. To reap fruit from the tree of life we must have the righteousness of Christ, and the only way we can have His righteousness is to place our faith in Him as Lord and Savior. Only then will His righteousness be imputed to us. Blessed are those who have partaken of the fruit from the Tree of Life by their faith in Jesus.

But there are many who haven’t eaten from that tree, many who haven’t tasted the fruit of salvation. As Jesus once told His disciples, the fields are white with the harvest. And this Proverb says wise people will win souls. Now is the time of harvest. If we don’t act soon, it will be too late for many souls to be preserved. We must lead souls to partake of the abundance of fruit from the tree of life. There are many lost souls who need to be won, and if we are wise, we will be about the Lord’s work and win them. Let’s go pick some fruit.

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Love and the Commandments

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city.

Many Christians think that if they believe in Jesus that alone is enough, but Scripture is clear that those who believe will also obey the Lord’s commands, and those who obey will be blessed. Faith and obedience cannot be separated. They walk hand in hand.

Near the end of John’s Revelation we hear how those who obey the Lord’s commands have the right to eternal life and entrance into Heaven. John goes on to tell us that outside the Holy City will be the disobedient; “…dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” (v. 15) We cannot profess to love Jesus and disobey His commandments. (John 14:15) If you keep Jesus’ commandments then that proves you love Him, and both the Father and the Son will love you. (John 14:21) If you keep the Lord’s commandments you will live in His love. (John 15:10)

How does the Bible define “love?” “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” (2 John 1:6) What are the commandments? “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) How do you love God and your neighbor? Keep the commandments. Which ones? “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9-10)

Do His commandments and you will be blessed.

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Godly Sorrow

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Many people express sorrow for the wrongs they’ve committed and think that’s enough, but they never express godly sorrow leading to repentance. The sorrow they express is the sorrow of the world, and that isn’t enough. In fact, it leads to death—eternal death in hell. Godly sorrow produces repentance, and repentance leads to salvation.

That leads to a central question. What’s the difference between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world? Paul explains that clearly. Godly sorrow leads to repentance and the sorrow of the world doesn’t. That means repentance is extremely important because it leads to salvation. John the Baptist preached repentance. Jesus said He came to lead sinners to repentance, and Peter tells us the reason Jesus hasn’t returned yet is because He’s patiently waiting for people to come to repentance.

So, what is repentance? Isaiah says it’s turning to God and forsaking wickedness and unrighteous thoughts (Isaiah 55:6-7). When you express godly sorrow it will lead you to turn to God and seek forgiveness that can only be achieved through faith in His Son; then you’ll forsake your sin. Worldly sorrow might produce a feeling of guilt, maybe even grief, but it won’t lead you to turn to God, and it won’t lead you to give up the sins that made you sorry in the first place. The difference is massive because one kind of sorrow leads to salvation and the other doesn’t.

So, the next time you say, “I’m sorry,” examine your sorrow. Is it godly sorrow that produces repentance, or is it worldly sorrow that doesn’t?

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Diversity

Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…

One of the catch words we hear in our post-modern culture is the word “diversity.” Unfortunately, that word has also crept unawares into the Church. Recently I saw where one prominent pastor said, “The more diverse the Church becomes the more holy it will be,” but as popular as diversity is in the world today Scripture has very little to say about it. There are a few occasions in which the book of Revelation mentions people of every nation, tribe, and tongue standing before the throne of God, but in each case that diversity of people is standing before the throne despite their diversity, not because of it. Yes, people of all nations, races, and languages will stand before the throne of God, but they will be standing there because of their agreement not their differences.

You see, the word “diversity” is a negative word, not a positive one. Its origins come from a Latin word meaning to separate, to split, even to divorce. It is our diversity that separates us from one another. We are divided by nationality, skin color, and even our varied languages. Diversity has no power to unify people, and it certainly doesn’t make us more holy. When people of every nation, tribe, and tongue stand before the throne of God and before the Lamb it will be their sameness that brings them there not their differences.

What is it that all the people in Heaven will have in common? They will all have a like faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Nobody in Heaven will be thinking about their nationality, race, or language. They will be united in their praise of the Lamb. It’s time for the church to stop celebrating diversity and start celebrating unity. We are to be of one mind, one spirit, and one faith. We are to be of one accord, to be in Christ. There is no room for division in the Lord’s house. Instead of boasting about diversity the Lord would much rather hear us boasting about unity. Diversity divides us, but faith in Jesus Christ brings a diversity of people together into one unified body called the Church.

Have a God Filled Week,
Brother Donnie

Christian

Acts 11:26 And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

The word Christian only appears in scripture three times, but it’s a very important word. Believers in Jesus were first called Christians at a church in a city named Antioch. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and it was a center for worship of pagan gods. When they first called believers Christians in Antioch it wasn’t meant as a compliment. They meant it as a put-down, an insult.

But to be a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Risen Savior, King of kings and Lord of lords. It’s easy for believers to take the name Christian for granted, but in the days of Peter and Paul the name Christian came with a degree of danger. Peter tells us, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:16). When you bear the name of Christian suffering comes with that. Why? Jesus said: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:18-19). We Christians aren’t like the world—we aren’t like unbelievers—so they hate us.

There came a day when the Apostle Paul had to stand trial before King Agrippa. Agrippa was the son of the man who killed James with a sword and imprisoned Peter, so he was a long way from being a believer in Jesus. But when Paul was given permission to speak at his trial he defended himself by telling Agrippa all about Jesus. As the hearing came to an end Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (Acts 26:28) Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a follower of Jesus.

If you claim the name of Christian you claim to be a follower of Christ. If you’re persuaded to put your faith in Jesus the world isn’t going to like you very much, but there’s nothing the Lord loves better than a Christian.

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Church and State

Psalm 2:1-3 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”

Many people like to use the phrase “Separation of Church and State.” They claim the U.S. Constitution demands there be a wall between government and the Church. But the words “Separation of Church and State” do not appear in our Constitution anywhere. Those words were first written in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to a minister. Jefferson was assuring the minister that the U.S. government would not interfere in the work of the Church, but it was never Jefferson’s intent that the Church should not influence the work of government.

In fact, God demands that national governments have discernment concerning Him and His Anointed. The Psalmist writes that rulers of nations will vainly try to tear themselves away from God and attempt to cast away the cords that tie us to Him. How does God respond to nations that plan those vain acts?

Psalm 2:4-5 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure…

The concept of “Separation of Church and State” is laughable to God. He mocks nations that try to separate from Him. He’s angry at them and He judges them because He isn’t happy with their choices. God has given all the nations to His Anointed, to His Son Jesus, and Jesus will break those nations with a rod of iron. He will dash them to pieces like a clay pot (Psalm 2:9).

So how should government work? Government should be wise and instructed in the ways of God. Government should serve the Lord with fear and “kiss the Son.” If government does not do that the Son will be angry and those nations will perish. But blessed are those nations who put their trust in Him (Psalm 2:10-12).

Have a God Filled Week,
Brother Donnie

Good Samaritan

Luke 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.

One of the most beloved parables in all Scripture is the story of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:30-37), but recently I read two articles by two fairly prominent Baptist pastors who totally destroyed the point of the parable. One of them retold the parable by replacing the Good Samaritan with someone from the LGBTQ community. His attempted point was to shine a light of acceptance on LGBTQ people. The other changed the focus of the story to the robbers on the Jericho Road. His attempted point was to show how the church needs to be diligent in promoting a Social Gospel that aims to remove violence and prejudice from the world. Both of them completely maligned Jesus’ teaching.

What’s the point of the parable? Well, Jesus was asked a very clear question, “Who is my neighbor?” If we are, as Jesus commanded, to love our neighbor as our self, then it’s very important that we understand who our neighbor is. But by the end of the parable Jesus does something amazing. He reverses the question. By answering with this parable Jesus goes beyond showing us who our neighbor is and instead shows us how to be a good neighbor. In the parable a Priest and a Levite ignore a man who has been robbed, severely beaten, and left lying in a ditch, but a Samaritan comes along and takes care of him. At the end of the story Jesus asked, “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” and the man who had originally asked the question answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.” How did Jesus respond to that? He said, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:36-37).

Jesus basically told the man he had been asking the wrong question. It’s just as important to be a good neighbor as it is to know who your neighbor is. Who is a neighbor? The one who shows mercy. Now that you understand that, “Go and do the same.”

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Progressive

Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

The writer of Hebrews says Christians should be able to move beyond the basics of our faith and obtain a deeper understandings of scripture. All believers should be working toward a more mature faith. We should be making constant progress in our walk with the Lord. Progress is a good word.

But there’s a dirty little word that has slipped into the church over the past several decades that is not good, “progressive.” Many modern churches profess to be Progressive Churches and they are led by so-called Progressive pastors, often women. And before I write another word I need to tell you they are false churches led by false teachers. These churches have evolved out of an ideology called Progressivism. They deny the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture, and
they tolerate and accept what the Bible clearly calls sin. They preach the social justice gospel as if it were sound doctrine when it is not. They come in all shapes, sizes, and denominations, including Progressive Baptist churches. And like any dirty, profane word Christians should avoid the word “progressive” at all cost.

Peter warns us, “…there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” (2 Peter 2:1-2) Beware the word “progressive” and those who claim to be “progressive.” It sounds like a good word, but it is not.

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Liberty

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

We’ve been granted great personal liberty in the United States, and our Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee certain protections of those civil liberties. Those protected rights are limited, as our current Supreme Court has ruled; no person has the Constitutional right to murder an unborn child. But still, our liberties are many and our freedom is great. We owe much to the founders of our nation and the authors of our Constitution.

But those protected civil liberties are only a shadow of the spiritual liberty we stand in as believers in Jesus Christ. There was a time when we were all slaves, all in bondage to our sin. Our sin held us just as tightly as an old-fashioned yoke held beasts of burden in captivity. But our faith in Jesus has removed the yoke of bondage from around our necks. Our sin no longer controls us and it no longer determines our eternal destiny.

But there’s also a warning here. Do not be entangled again in the yoke of bondage. A freed slave should have no desire to return to a former master. As free people we should never return to the bondage of our former sins. Don’t get entangled; don’t get ensnared; don’t put your head back in the yoke of bondage you’ve already been freed from. Stand in your liberty.

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Have a God Filled Week,

Brother Donnie

Patience

Luke 21:19 By your patience possess your souls.

I’ve been having a hard time with patience lately. It seems that everything I set out to accomplish is delayed for one reason or another. One of the hardest things we humans have to do is wait, and most of us aren’t very good at it. Today I’m impatiently waiting for a delivery that’s several hours overdue. Yesterday I thought I had everything lined up concerning a project I’d been working on only to find there’s a problem that will delay the whole thing. When I was a kid one of my uncles once told me, “Life is just a cycle of hurry up and wait.”

But Jesus said, “By your patience possess your souls.” When He said that He wasn’t talking about mundane, earthly things like deliveries and snags that delay a project from coming to fruition. He was talking about eternity. In Luke 21 Jesus was talking about the end of time, the end of human history and how to recognize the signs of its coming. He had been asked when His Kingdom would begin, and He answered by saying, “Wait, be patient.”

The day is coming when Jesus will return in all His glory and power, and we Christians live in great anticipation of that day. But He tells us to wait for it with patience. Don’t try to rush it; don’t get impatient. Don’t think every bad thing that happens is a sign of His coming. Just relax and know that He’s coming in His own good time. There’s a lot of trouble in the world and we have to patiently endure that trouble until Jesus comes back, and when He does all trouble will be done away with. Jesus says by your patience you will have life, eternal life with Him in Glory.

So have patience. Don’t doubt or despair. Jesus is coming.

Have a God Filled Week,
Brother Donnie