Let’s examine a concept from two different vantage points…
“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Matthew 12:33-37
And
“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:43-45
What are you filling your heart with? What do you focus on throughout the day? If you’re being fed by a bitter stream, then you will inevitably begin to have bitterness flow from you. If you are being fed by the Stream of life, then you will definitely overflow fruit of the Spirit.
Today, I encourage you to reconnect with the Spirit of God. Go out and drink from the Stream of Life. The Living Water. Holy Spirit.
Take your Bible and ask God to speak to you through His Word. Sit outside and close your eyes as you drink in the stillness and busyness of nature. It’s funny how it’s never really still or quiet, even outside. There is always something moving or making noise…but that natural noise feels so different from the noise of electronics. Step out into God’s masterpiece of nature. Feel the grass under your feet. Listen to the leaves and twigs crunch as you walk. Breathe in the fresh air and look at the clouds. It’s impossible to not feel God outdoors.
God, thank You for creation. Thank You for the beauty all around us. Lord, fill my heart with your goodness. Fill my mind with thoughts of You. Reset the rhythm of my soul today. Shut out worry and fear and allow the beauty of Your Presence to flood my thoughts. I lean into You today. I chose You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
I love You, Lord; You are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in Whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, Who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3
365 Days in the Presence 