Building Faith and Bearing Fruit

As we end one year and begin another, it’s good to consider how we can persevere in faithfully serving the Lord.
God tells us in Jeremiah 17:7-8:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
In stark contrast, verses 5-6 say:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert.”
To be fruitful, we must put our faith in God.
In the story of Joseph, he had it all—his father’s favor and the coat of many colors. His jealous brothers pretended he was dead and sold him into slavery. When Joseph rejected the advances of his master’s wife, he went to jail. Even so, he still had God’s favor and the jailer let him run the prison.
While there, he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s jailed butler, predicting he would soon be restored. Joseph then asked that the butler mention him to Pharaoh, hoping to get out of prison.
When we start trusting in people and what they say they will do, we are in the wrong place. Remember that God always stands by His words, and He never forgets His promises.
The butler, however, forgot about Joseph for two long years—until Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret. That’s when Joseph was finally freed, given great authority, and ultimately reconciled to the very brothers who had sold him into slavery.
And then Joseph told them something amazing:
“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to … save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
We need to have that same kind of trust—that God is working through everything. We may not know where to go or what to do, but God does. And when circumstances look bad, we can trust He is working all things together for good. When we have that faith, we are like a tree planted by the waters, unaffected by drought and never ceasing to bear fruit.
Ere Another Year Begins, Believe in Jesus – New Year Devotional – December 31
From: Crosswalk.com
Jeremiah 8:20
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
Not saved! Dear reader, is this your mournful plight? Warned of the judgment to come, bidden to escape for your life, and yet at this moment not saved! You know the way of salvation, you read it in the Bible, you hear it from the pulpit, it is explained to you by friends, and yet you neglect it, and therefore you are not saved. You will be without excuse when the Lord shall judge the quick and dead.
The Holy Spirit has given more or less of blessing upon the word which has been preached in your hearing, and times of refreshing have come from the divine presence, and yet you are without Christ. All these hopeful seasons have come and gone – your summer and your harvest have passed – and yet you are not saved. Years have followed one another into eternity, and your last year will soon be here: youth has gone, manhood is going, and yet you are not saved.
Let me ask you – will you ever be saved? Is there any likelihood of it? Already the most propitious seasons have left you unsaved; will other occasions alter your condition? Means have failed with you – the best of means, used perseveringly and with the utmost affection – what more can be done for you? Affliction and prosperity have alike failed to impress you; tears and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren heart. Are not the probabilities dead against your ever being saved? Is it not more than likely that you will abide as you are till death for ever bars the door of hope? Do you recoil from the supposition? Yet it is a most reasonable one: he who is not washed in so many waters will in all probability go filthy to his end. The convenient time never has come, why should it ever come? It is logical to fear that it never will arrive, and that Felix like, you will find no convenient season till you are in hell. O bethink you of what that hell is, and of the dread probability that you will soon be cast into it!
Reader, suppose you should die unsaved, your doom no words can picture. Write out your dread estate in tears and blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing of teeth: you will be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of the Lord, and from the glory of His power. A brother’s voice would fain startle you into earnestness. O be wise, be wise in time, and ere another year begins, believe in Jesus, who is able to save to the uttermost. Consecrate these last hours to lonely thought, and if deep repentance be bred in you, it will be well; and if it lead to a humble faith in Jesus, it will be best of all. O see to it that this year pass not away, and you an unforgiven spirit. Let not the new year’s midnight peals sound upon a joyless spirit! Now, NOW, NOW believe, and live.
“ESCAPE FOR THY LIFE;
LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE,
NEITHER STAY THOU IN ALL THE PLAIN;
ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAIN, LEST THOU BE CONSUMED.”
Ditching New Year’s Resolutions
By Laura Bailey, Crosswalk.com
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7 NIV
For as long as I can remember, the days between Christmas and New Year’s were spent evaluating the previous year and planning all the ways I would improve in the following year. I crafted a detailed list with goals, timelines, and rewards if I hit the target. Rarely did I just focus on one resolution. Instead, I filled every line on the paper with a new achievement. And every year around the first of February, exhausted, overwhelmed, and irritated, I threw my resolution in the trash and immediately penned another, this time, a more obtainable list–except it was just as ridiculous to maintain as the first one.
Last year, however, I decided to ditch the resolutions for good and focus on a word or Scripture for the year. Setting goals and working towards improving oneself isn’t a bad thing. But, we mustn’t let our identity be rooted in what we achieved ( or didn’t). This year I decided to focus on three words, Scripture, and prayer. My hope is to spend a few minutes each day to meditate and abide in Christ, using these words to prompt my quiet time.
Feel free to use the below phrases to encourage you this year, and remember, it’s not about what we do in 2023, but Whose glory we do it for.
Steadfast
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” –Psalm 51:10 NASV
Every day I am bombarded with decisions that beg for my attention. What will I eat? Will the kids play soccer or baseball? Do I need to get the roof checked? As I go about slaying my to-do list, I often forget to address the most critical decision of my day: will I choose to live a godly life?
A part of living a godly life is seeking daily redemption and renewal of my heart and mind so that I can be steadfast in the Lord. God graciously gives His Children a heart that yearns to love Him and a spirit of steadfast obedience. Before I go about our day, l take time to call on the name of the Lord and ask for a clean heart that flees from evil and a right spirit that glorifies God in all I do.
Lord, I pray that you will give me a steadfast spirit that aches to choose to live for you faithfully. Amen.
Pleasing
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” –Romans 12:1
Growing up, one of my favorite restaurants had the slogan, “we aim to please.” It’s the service industry; shouldn’t they always aim to please? But I’d missed the point. The restaurant wasn’t desiring a one-and-done transaction but providing a pleasurable experience that would lead to a lasting relationship.
How often do I treat my relationship with God like a transaction to be completed before moving on to the next thing? God finds great pleasure in the relationships with His Children. I can worship and honor the Lord by simply abiding in Him.
Lord, may I live in a way that is holy and pleasing to you. Amen
Power
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” – Ephesians 6:10 NIV
During the last few weeks before the birth of my first child, the doctor encouraged me to prepare both physically and mentally for my daughter’s arrival. I began to tailor my workouts to focus on the muscles that helped deliver. However, mentally, I was anxious. I confessed to my husband, “I just don’t have the power to do this.”
And by myself, I didn’t have the strength. But, as a child of God, I had the power of Christ living inside of me. My strength comes from a loving, all-powerful Father, and He graciously gives to those who call on His name.
Lord, help me be strong in you and rest in your mighty power. Amen
Today’s Devotions
MorningDecember 31
Daniel 9:2-3, 19 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
19O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
The prophet Daniel was reading the prophecies of Jeremiah and discovered that it was time for the captivity to be over. He didn’t run out and tell everyone to pack his bags. In his heart he knew the people were not spiritually ready, so he interceded for them in prayer. He discerned the need for repentance before they returned and ended up making the same mistakes. He was very earnest in his intercession even fasting and donning sackcloth and ashes.
What a heart this man of God had for the people of God! But even more than that, he had a heart after God. He closes his prayer by asking because the people and city bear the name of Jehovah. He was concerned about the reputation of the name of the Lord in the world. Have you ever prayed for the church you attend with that in mind? “God help us because we are a poor example of Christ. We need forgiveness and restoration because we are called Christians.” It is a new perspective for many of us. We pray about many things but rarely out of concern for the name of the LORD. May the LORD help us all to be a testimony of the great name of God in all we do and say.
The angel Gabriel came to speak to Daniel about his prayer. Gabriel told Daniel that he is highly esteemed. He is in heaven’s Hall of Fame. Tomorrow’s evening devotion (January 1) is on the incredible word the angel brought to Daniel about forgiveness and restoration.
Consider: May we all prefer the honor of heaven over the honor of men.