And in His law he meditates day and night.
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Fruitfulness is seen in the warm months like June, July and August around here! Even like the huckleberries being picked is a sign that summer is passing quickly now and fall is making its "grand" appearance with some rain and very cool mornings. Which is no surprise to us here in this area. But in truth, fruitfulness can occur anytime of the year. We can see in the markets and grocery stores, products that are grown in far-away countries in their warm months and those fruits or vegetables come to us in our winter months.
I like the garden aspect of seeing that blossom to appear and then some fruit or vegetable to come on that plant or the vine to grow and be harvested. We had a surprise this year when planting the few seeds for plants of yellow squash. We planted only yellow squash but we now have some zucchini squash growing as well! One is of good size, was harvested over the weekend and the others are small.
We know it is what seed we plant that we believe to harvest. Yes, something is suppose to come up by what seed you have planted. Am thinking someone, somewhere put the wrong seed in the wrong packet! What happened to the quality control person?
I am sure we will find something to do with the zucchini, but I had no plans of having any in the beginning of starting this little garden in early spring.
We certainly kept watch on the pepper plants and counted the blooms, but alas, only one plant actually produced the peppers. The one, yes the tallest one, has been a failure in producing any peppers at all. It sure looks healthy and tall. It has it's vibrant green leaves but NO PEPPERS! Looking at it from a distance, you would think it would have peppers on every branch.
Are we producing any fruit? Well of course we are! But what kind are we producing? Are we producing that which leads to life or death? Is our fruit that which we planted and see it when we are harvesting? Whatever we sow in the ground regarding anything to our lives, will either look good and produce an abundance to a good thing or will be bad and produce in abundance to a bad thing!
In the kingdom of God, we find a blessed man, who is sowing seed. It looks like the "blessed" man is one who keeps his walk,
not among the counsel of the ungodly,
never stands in the path of sinners and
never takes
a seat among the scornful!
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
In Matthew 8:8-12, we find that we are told to bear fruits worthy of repentance........
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy
of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to
yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able
to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is
laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in
His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His
wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire." NKJV
Bearing fruit....worthy of repentance. Remember we have a pepper plant that will produce the flower but no fruit that even looks like the pepper. The godly man will look over how he walks, acts and conducts his life in accordance to the Word of God!
The counsel of the ungodly is......as we see them, we are not to facilitate anything the ungodly are doing or speaking. Do we see that today? It is God's Word that we should think on, act on and live by daily!
Luke 23:50-56
50 Now behold,
there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. 54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.
And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. NKJV
Others were consorting ( mixing ) together, to crucify Jesus, yet this man Joseph, a good and just man had
not consented to their decision and deed.
When we stay out of the path of sinners, we will stay out of the "affected area of sin". I like that as I read it in one commentary. It would be pretty much like standing out on the roadway like I-5 during 5 pm traffic or going to someplace where they have the "plague" or "disease that kills in a few days".
I think of the days many years ago, and it was time for either basketball or baseball. You were either picked to join or forget it. Basketball I was not good at. But give me a bat, and that ball was going to sail way past the heads of those who thought they could catch it.
The thing is though with sin, that if you dance with it, participate with it, you may sound like the crowd who you thought you would avoid entirely. Clothes do not make us, nor does that "new do" and men are affected by that thing as women are. God looks on our heart and where does our heart lead us? Many will just follow "a crowd" so that they feel either loved or a part of something that had not done before, either good or bad.
Now that seat of the scornful is the man who is the secure in their wickedness. They like doing wicked. They care not whether they gain blood of another.
Proverbs 4:14-19
14
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot sleep till they do evil;
they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble. NIV
That scornful is one who will laugh at another in derision. The scorner is one who wants their way, and will scorn the one who wants more of the quiet, godly life. We have seen that too, today in our society. It seems the norm to laugh at another in an insulting way. But the truly godly will hold their steps in God. They will abide under the shelter of the Almighty God.
These three show us that the ungodly does not like the Word of God, resents those who do, and will seek out to change the godly to their agenda. And the sinner is the one who willfully sins against God and His commands. They are the ones who are willful to show their true colors either by drink, theft or even defile themselves in ways that causes them death in the end.
Proverbs 23:29-35
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt!
They beat me, but I don't feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?" NIV
From the Blog: BUTTING AND DISTURBING......What terrible problems that come when we desire or want that which we either should not have, or do not need. It is like becoming intoxicated with the thing "we so desire" to have or control, to have "my way", or add to our collection of things we think we need at the time! And being intoxicated with those desires, our want can cause us to start those quarrels that end nowhere, but in the place of many wounds JUST because "we want that thing."
In some respect, some will even go searching for those who will join in with them to agree for that "thing desired". And however good the appearance or thing may sound at the time of our desire, one will certainly know after some time has gone by,
that it can come back to bite you in a big way!
You can see that from some reports of the news of people wanting their thing done NOW! Certain peril will be evident like not making your payments on bills you owe, or putting yourself in danger to get something that may be wrong from the start for us like doing drugs or even stealing someone else's stuff! Some people just go and take from their neighbor and think it is okay. Well, it means stealing to most people of the civilized world. I heard the other day of a guy throwing ALL his mail away because it had bills in it he had to pay and he did not want to do it! He had charged so much and so much again, that he owed more than what he brought into his account each month. He wanted to have "fun" and do whatever he fancied and decided he would not pay any bills at all!
In closing: will we be fruitful to the things of God and stand for our country? Will we speak and give counsel that comes from God alone or the world? TODAY WE CHOOSE!
Father, in Psalm 1 the blessed man prospers. Fruitfulness is important to our daily living for we find Jesus talked about it in John 15. Our desire is that we abide in the true vine. Help us to see and know that abiding in You will help us bear much fruit (verse 5) Our desire is asking You to show us how to put this into practice every day for without YOU, we can do nothing. We also seek to glorify You in everything we speak and everything we do. We pray today to be found doing just that when You return to get us. We truly seek to keep to the path YOU have directed us to walk.
In and through Jesus we are reconciled back to You. We have salvation because of the love You had for us. Help us to realize that we are not to return to folly. Help us see the importance of binding in truth. As those plants, (Psalm 85: 11) to prosper, those that bear fruit, will be those that bear truth to glorify You and Who You are. Lord guide us into all truth . May we spring up everywhere we must be and bring truth to others. We desire to yes, look good, but that we would also bring forth fruit in its season that will not wither. That we would continue the way into righteousness, that which comes acting like YOU and speaking what YOU speak. We are thankful that righteousness will go before us.........and In YOUR righteousness, YOU shall make YOUR footsteps our pathway. (Psalm 85:13)
It is in Jesus' holy name we pray. Amen.
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