Bearing Fruit

For Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Proverbs 14:14

The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

Once, I commented on the poor luck a certain fellow seemed to keep having. My companion replied that sometimes a person makes his own luck. He could have quoted this proverb. We often question why we are having so much trouble. It is true that trouble comes to the godly as well as the ungodly and that often there is no accounting for troubles. But much, if not most, of our troubles come as consequences of our behavior.

If we backslide in our faith, we can expect problems. God will discipline his children, but that discipline may be his allowing our conduct to receive its due consequences. This is a major theme of proverbs. If we start hanging out with ungodly friends, we will more likely experience more troubles. The wicked and the immoral draw trouble for themselves. But the backslider will experience more bitterness than the immoral who are living according to their character. The backslider will experience remorse; he will feel uncomfortable in both worlds. He can neither find real happiness in the sin that the wicked enjoy nor in the pleasures of the righteous. Life is thrown off kilter. This is the fruit that he reaps.

The good man - the one who remains true to his faith - may experience troubles, but he reaps blessing. He reaps a good name; he experiences honest joy and peace. And he reaps the blessing of being productive in good things. He not only bears more fruit, but more pleasing fruit.

And Jesus tells us how to bear that fruit - abide in him. Abide in Christ and we will bear more fruit than we could expect. Abide in Christ and he will abide in us and keep us from backsliding. He will keep us from falling.

Endless Joy

For Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Proverbs 14:13

Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and the end of joy may be grief.

Not all is what it seems. That neighbor who is laughing may be experiencing immense anguish. That couple who seem so happy may be filled with sadness. The news of joy may be setting in motion great grief. This is the character of life in this world, that joy is either mixed with sorrow or but an interlude between times of grief and anxiety. The story of the world is the story of Camelot. No matter how good a place and time may be, seeds of sorrow are always sown and bear fruit. Such is the story of every individual.

Nothing is certain. No joy is lasting. No sky is cloudless. Except...

Except the one thing that matters most - the guarantee of everlasting joy. The guarantee that there will come a time will the heart will never ache; that laughter will be of pure joy that will never end in grief. There will be a time when there shall be no "mourning nor crying nor pain anymore" (Revelation 21:4).

In your grief, Christian, remember your true hope which cannot be denied you. Your inheritance is everlasting joy in the presence of your Redeemer. Take joy in that hope now. Take joy in knowing that the laughter you experience here is but a preview of the laughter in eternal glory. Begin enjoying now the eternal life that is yours. There are trials in this life, to be sure. But you can withstand the trials if you but keep the hope that is before you, and you look for the signs of that "weight of glory" that is yours. You will find those signs in good joy; in the blessings of Christian fellowship; in worship; in meditating upon the sacred words of Scripture; in beholding the beauty of the world. The signs of eternal joy are all about you.

Seems Right

For Monday, November 21, 2005
Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

This proverb makes two matter-of-fact statements that, depending on who we are, we tend to ignore. One is that the man of the world lives the way he does because it seems right to him. We Christians seem to forget this. We get angry with nonChristians who live what we consider immoral and unethical lifestyles. How can they live that way? They live that way because it seems right to them. It makes sense to them. Even the criminal will justify his behavior as the right thing to do in his circumstance. And given their worldview, their behavior makes sense.

The other statement is that such a way is the way to death. Their worldview, however much sense it may seem to make, is wrong. What God sets forth is truth, despite whatever perspective any person may have. People may argue against truth; they may reason to the best of their ability; they may rail against truth; they may curse it; they may ignore it. Nevertheless, their way ends in death.

Do not be angry with the world. Do not be resentful of your neighbor. But do pray for your neighbor, that he or she may not follow what seems right, but be awaken to what is right. Pray that the Holy Spirit will awaken, convict, and grant faith to your neighbor to follow the path of faith in Christ that ends in life.