Monthly Archives: December 2024

Abundance, Bible, Fruit, God's Will, Gospel, Scripture, Unfruitful

FRUIT BEARING

COLOSSIANS 1:6

“which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth;” 

Trees that don’t bear fruit often meet a fatal end. The farmers can’t afford to have a tree take up valuable land and nutrients if isn’t producing fruit. There are so many stories in the Bible about fruit bearing. Jesus told several Himself. In Luke 13:6-9, Jesus tells this parable. “6 And He began telling this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, “Look! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?” 8 But he answered and said to him, “Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.”’”

The Greek word Paul uses for “bearing fruit” is karpophoreó. Strong’s Lexicon says karpophoreó “is often used metaphorically to refer to the visible results or outcomes of a person’s life or actions, particularly in a spiritual or moral context. The term implies productivity and the manifestation of inner qualities or virtues.” Just as God expected Israel to bear fruit (the image of the fig tree in the parable), He expects us to do the same.

APPLICATION

But Carl, I’m not a preacher. Nobody said you had to be a preacher to bear fruit. Our verse today says the gospel will itself bear fruit, if we will just share it. You don’t win a soul to heaven. God does through the Holy Spirit. You are simply the tool He has chosen to use. If you didn’t realize it already, God still uses people to accomplish His will.

This word karpophoreó is used eight times in the New Testament. Four times it is used in the Gospels (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20, 28; Luke 8:15) where Jesus is telling the parable of the sower. Paul uses it twice in Romans (7:4, 5) referring to the battle between law and grace producing fruit for life or death. Then finally we have the last two occurrences in Colossians (1:6, 10). We will see verse 10 in a few days.

Why am I telling you all this? Because fruit bearing is important. Take a minute and read John 15. Look at how the vine and branches are meant to produce fruit. We are the branches designed by God to produce fruit for His kingdom. Share the gospel. Share His Word. Tell someone about Jesus this Christmas season and watch how God will produce the fruit.

Forgive me Father, for not being more bold in witnessing about Jesus. Use me to produce fruit for Your kingdom.

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Bible, Heaven, Promises, Reserved, Scripture

STORED UP

COLOSSIANS 1:5

“because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel” 

My dad was a storer. What does that mean? That means he didn’t throw anything away. He always said, “I might need that one day.” Every extra screw, bolt, nut, tool in his workroom testified to that when he died. The sad thing was he had to leave it all behind. None of those earthly things were needed in heaven. Storing worldly possessions doesn’t really matter, in the long run.

Paul tells his audience to remember the hope that is stored up for them in heaven. What a glorious thought. The Greek word for “reserved” is apokeimai. Strong’s Lexicon says this about this word.  It “conveys the idea of something being set aside or reserved for future use. It often implies a sense of security or assurance that what is laid up will be available when needed. In the New Testament, it is used metaphorically to describe treasures or rewards that are stored up for believers in heaven.” Don’t you just love that?

APPLICATION

This word is only used four times in the New Testament. Let’s take a look at a couple of other uses. In 2 Timothy 4:8 we read, “in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” That crown of righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord stored it up for us. He’s watching it. What a promise!

In Hebrews 9:27, the writer says, “And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment,” It has been said that there are two absolutes in the world – death and taxes. Death is assured. We will all die, unless Christ returns before you die. Your death is “stored” up and waiting on you. Are you ready? I am. I am not planning on going any time soon, but if death comes ringing my door, I will gladly open it.

Listen, there are some things that are promised to you by God. And if God makes a promise, you can be sure it will happen. God does not make empty promises. Paul tells the believers that there is hope stored up for them in heaven. Do you have that hope? I pray you do. It is only accessible through Jesus. Come to Him.

O Lord, thank You for watching over all those things You have promised me.

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Accountability, Bible, Encouragement, Faith, Gossip, Scripture

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT…?

COLOSSIANS 1:4

“since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;” 

The old kudzu vine spreads rumors and gossip faster than a bird after a June bug. How’s that for a Southern expression, lol. Do you know what kudzu is? It is a plant that was originally brought into the U.S. to help control erosion. It quickly took off and now covers a lot of the landscape in the South. It can completely bury a structure and climb and eventually kill a tree. It reportedly can grow up to four inches a day in the right conditions. But it bears no fruit. It only destroys. Gossip can spread just as fast.

Paul wasn’t talking about the kudzu vine (or the grape vine, if you prefer that expression). He had sent Epaphras there to bring back news of how they were progressing in their faith. In verses 7-8 (which we will look at in a few days), we see this. “7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.” What a great report!

APPLICATION

How do you talk about fellow believers? Do you share how well they are doing in their walk with Jesus, or do you share rumors of how they have messed up? Scripture is pretty clear about not spreading rumors. In 2 Corinthians 12:20, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church against this. “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.”

Not only there but look at Proverbs 11:13 (NIV). “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” Also in Proverbs 18:8, we read, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.” So, it is clear that when we talk about others, it should not be hurtful or harmful words. We are to build each other up, like Epaphras did the Colossae believers.

Hold your tongue and do not sin, just like Job did in Job 2:10. Even though he was going through severe persecution, it says he did not sin with his lips. Can you do the same? If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all. We’ve all been told that a time or two, haven’t we? Give good reports!

Father, guard my mouth and help me to speak only good of my fellow believers.

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Answers, Bible, Hearing, Intercession, Prayer, Scripture

ALWAYS PRAYING

COLOSSIANS 1:3

“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”

How many times have you told someone, “I will pray for you,” or “I’ll remember you in my prayers”? Then you go home and totally forget all about it. I have learned when I am asked to pray for someone to do it right then, either out loud with the person or in my heart. I know how forgetful I am. I will forget who it was or what it was I was praying for. It doesn’t take much time. And if you do it right then, that person knows you take prayer seriously.

Paul tells his fellow believers in Colossae that he is “praying always” for them. I bet that was not the first time Paul had told them that. They knew Paul was a man of prayer. They knew Paul had modeled prayer for others to them. They could trust this statement and knew he was praying for them, even while he was in prison (his first imprisonment).

APPLICATION

How do you model this for others? Well, I told you what I do, but you may choose another way. You may want to make a note in your phone or in a journal. I do both of these, as well. I meet with different men’s groups and keep a list of prayer requests. Then when I am having my daily prayer time, I can pull these out and pray for them by name.

Let me encourage you to do that – pray for them by name. Generic prayers are good. All prayers are good, but when you call that person’s name and intercede for them, you are being specific in your prayers. We are told in Philippians to present our prayers and petitions before the Lord (Phil. 4:6-7). That Greek for “petitions” is used to describe prayers that are specific and fervent, often in the context of seeking divine intervention or assistance.

Don’t be shy about your prayers. God can handle all you give Him. In fact, He is waiting for them. He wants to hear them. He wants to answer them. By praying for others, you are building your own faith in prayer. Intercede for others as often as you can and watch the God of the universe work in and through you.

Father, I know You hear my prayers for others. Answer according to Your perfect will.

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Bible, Faith, Faithfulness, Scripture, Trustworthy

FAITHFUL

COLOSSIANS 1:2

To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

What does it mean to be “faithful”? In marriage it means to not cheat on your spouse with someone else. It means to stay by their side no matter what may happen. At work it may mean to stay with your employer through hard times knowing all they have done for you in the past. So, being faithful can have a lot of meanings.

What did Paul mean here in verse 2 of Colossians 1? What made these brothers and sisters faithful? Notice that Paul does not address this epistle to the church. He addressed it to individuals, probably those whom he knew firsthand. They had proven themselves faithful against the pagan influences of their day. They were loyal to Christ despite the evil all around them. It is to them that Paul writes.

APPLICATION

Throughout Scripture, believers are called faithful and are called to their faith. Here’s another question for you. Do you think others would consider you faithful? Hmmm! That may take some pondering on your part. We see over in Titus 1:6 that an elder should be “faithful to his wife.” That makes sense, right?

Gill’s Exposition of the Bible describes these “faithful” believers this way. “true and sincere believers in Christ, constant and persevering in the faith of him; faithful to the Gospel, and their profession of it, and to Christ, whose name they bore, and to one another, to whom they stood in the relation of brethren…” Looking at that description, could that be said about you?

We should all strive to be faithful to Jesus in all things. There’s no doubt about that. But if you fall, if you sin, does that make you unfaithful. I think not. We are to try to be like Jesus, even though we will never be just like Him. He knows us all too well and loves us anyway. Aren’t you glad? So, go out today and be faithful.

Father, give me faith to move mountains but also faith in the little things.

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Apostle, Bible, Disciplemaking, Disciples, Ministry

NOT ALONE

COLOSSIANS 1:1

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,”

We have been encouraged when we travel in our ministry to take someone along with us. It’s not so much about protection. I don’t need a bodyguard. But it is more about companionship and accountability. I am headed to Jamaica in a couple of months and am taking two others with me to help with the conference but to also make sure I am staying true to the Word and to our mission.

Paul understood this. He says very clearly at the beginning that he is “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” In other words, he didn’t just decide one day to start a ministry. God called him and appointed him. And Paul also took along companions. In this case, he is mentioned Timothy, whom Paul calls “our brother.” Paul invested in Timothy to make him into a disciple maker himself.

APPLICATION

Are you engaged in some type of ministry right now? Let me ask you a question. Who told you to do that? Well Carl, it just seemed to be the right thing to do. That is not a good answer. Our ministries, whatever they are, need to be directed by the Lord. How will you know? Oh, God doesn’t make you guess. You will know very clearly.

And who is getting the glory for any ministry you are involved with? If it’s anyone besides Jesus, you are doing it for the wrong reason. You would be surprised at the number of ministries that are man-centered and not God-centered. Make sure He gets all the glory for anything you do. By doing that, you can be sure to receive God’s blessings.

Finally, who are you investing in? Do you have a Timothy? Paul spent around 20 years traveling and mentoring Timothy. He was establishing his legacy through Timothy (and others). He wanted them to experience Christ as he had and to take the Gospel forward. We need to be doing the same with our Timothys.

Father, give me the energy and time to invest in a Timothy right now.

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Uncategorized

Coming Soon

I will be back with my daily blog posts beginning December 16th. I will be taking a look at Paul’s epistle of Colossians. This is a great follow up to our last study in Ephesians. So…stay tuned and watch for it beginning next MONDAY, DECEMBER 16.

I have missed writing every day, but needed this break as I was traveling throughout East Africa last month.

Blessigs

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