Bearing fruit of your faith through the act of continual repentance is the call to every single believer in Christ. This is not a suggestion from Christ, it is a demand of Christ. This may sound overbearing to an unbelieving world, but to the believer these are welcoming words. Nevertheless, they are words that carry a heavy burden. This burden however, is not carried by us alone. No, our helper, the Holy Spirit, is ready, willing and able to strengthen and encourage us to fulfill this command in our lives. Take time this week to reflect on your call to bear fruit in keeping with repentance and use the below devotional as a catalyst to that end.
If you find this devotional edifying, please leave a comment below for the spurring on of others.
Monday – What does bearing fruit in keeping with repentance look like?
The call to bear fruit, or produce works that exemplify your faith, is a call to produce godly character through the process of sanctification. It is this godly character that will motivate the believer to produce the work of Christ. During this life-long process of sanctification, the believers attributes or virtues are changed or enhanced, leading them away from what they hold dear, to what God holds dear. This process requires action and endurance on the part of the believer. I say action because we must be purposefully engaged in our transformation. Yet at the same time we must endure the growing pains of being confronted with God’s pruning away of our old self. Read and reflect upon 2 Peter 1:3-15.
Tuesday – How does the believer bear fruit in keeping with repentance?
Bearing fruit of faith begins and is sustained through the act of repentance. Repentance leads us to Christ when we repent of our past sins and believe in Jesus as our eternal atonement. After this initial act that is imparted upon us through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are continually urged by the Spirit to repent of our reoccurring sins. It is this continual urging that brings the believer to mental and spiritual point of godly transformation. As we are confronted with our sins, we begin to hate them more and more, by the indwelling power of God the Holy Spirit. As this intensifies in our lives, the natural and spiritual byproduct is a more sanctified mindset that is proven in how we live and what we do with our lives. Therefore, repentance is the threshold to the godly garden of good works. Read and reflect on 1 John 2:1-6
Wednesday – What guidance do we have, if any, for bearing fruit in keeping with repentance?
It is impossible to get where you want to go if you do not know how to get there. Anyone who heads out on a journey must have a course mapped out in order to get to their destination. The map or course that is set out for the believer in Christ is the Holy Bible. Our best efforts, as much as we are devoting them to Christ, will fall woefully short of God’s expectations, if we are not being guided by the Scriptures. It is through the Scriptures that we come to understand the positions, moralities and theologies we must embrace and those we must reject. Therefore, it is vital to the transformed life of the believer to abide in the word of God. Take your time and read John chapter 15. As you do, reflect upon your life and see if you can commit to abiding in Christ through His word.
Thursday – What are the obstacles to bearing fruit in keeping with repentance?
Like any other spiritual discipline, the enemies of righteousness coupled with unbiblical beliefs are obstacles to a life of bearing fruit. In order to combat these obstacles, the believer must be able to recognize them. Some of these obstacles include:
· Shame brought on by sinning
· Failing to maintain consistency
· Comparing ourselves to other believers
All of these obstacles are nothing more than bumps in the road. I call them bumps because the power of God working in us is stronger that any obstacle we will ever face. Bumps in the road do not stop traffic, they only slow traffic down. In like manner, bumps in our Christian lives cannot stop us they can only slow us down. Confessing believers are to feel the shame of our sin however, it is this shame that sanctifies us through the knowledge that Christ loved us, in spite of our sin, and gave Himself for us. The shame of sin also acts as a godly reminder to forsake sin and grow in godliness.
Failing to maintain consistency is a problem that every believer experiences, so you’re not alone. God calls us to endure through the struggles, He does not require perfection. Because this is the case, we cannot compare ourselves to others. The current process of sanctification that we find ourselves in, is unique to our calling. God is moving in our lives at our pace and through His timing. These two truths are not in conflict with each other but compliment each other. Read and meditate on Isaiah 41:13, 2 Timothy 1:7 and Psalm 103:6-14.
Friday – Create a plan for bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.
It has been well said that a mission without a plan is a plan of no mission. The Christian life is one of purpose and intentionality. God has called us to a purpose (to glorify Him in bearing fruit of our faith) and He requires us to be intentional about this call. So, the thinking Christian must plan their day and life around this God glorifying mission. Failing to do so leads to a stagnant and unfruitful Christian life. Meditate on Proverbs 16:1-9.