October
13, 2003
BEARING
FRUIT
"He
who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word
and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some
a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23,
NKJV).
Good-ground
hearers, having heard the word, keep it. Satan with all his
agencies of evil is not able to take it away. "A knowledge
of the truth depends not so much on strength of intellect
as upon pureness of purpose, the simplicity of an earnest,
dependent faith. To those who in humility of heart seek for
divine guidance, angels of God draw near. The Holy Spirit
is given to open to them the rich treasures of the truth"
(Christ's Object Lessons, p. 59).
Merely
to hear or to read the word is not enough. One who desires
to benefit from the Scriptures will meditate on the truth
that has been presented to him. By earnest attention and prayerful
meditation he will learn the meaning of the words of truth.
God bids us to fill the mind with great and pure thoughts.
He desires us to meditate on His love and grace, to study
His wonderful provision of the great plan of salvation. Then
our perception of truth will become clearer and still clearer.
"The soul dwelling in the pure atmosphere of holy thought
will be transformed by communion with God through the study
of the Scriptures" (Christ's Object Lessons, p.
60).
Those
who hear the word and keep it, will bring forth fruit in obedience.
The word of God received into the soul will be manifest in
the life. It's results will be seen in the actions of life.
Jesus said, "By this all will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another"
(John 13:35). The word of God often comes in collision with
man's hereditary and cultivated traits of character and habits
of life. The good-ground hearer, in receiving the word, accepts
its conditions and requirements. His habits, customs, and
practices are brought into submission to God's Holy Spirit
and Word.
No one
who receives the word of God is exempt from difficulty and
trial. When affliction comes, the true Christian does not
become restless, distrustful, or despondent. Though we can
not see the outcome, or discern the purpose of God's providence,
we are not to distrust His leading. Remembering the tender
mercies of Jesus, we can cast our care on Him, and with patience
wait for His deliverance. Jesus said, "If
anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will
love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him"
(John 14:23).
|
