Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 NASB
Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”
When we think of fruit or something bearing fruit, we tend to think of apples and pears and oranges and bananas and the like…and that would be truth. Fruit comes as a process of growth and maturity, just as when a grain of wheat is planted and watered and grows into a mature plant and one day brings forth a harvest of grain, so our spiritual lives bear fruit in much the same way.
As we grow in maturity in Christ, we come to learn that growth means change…and change is not always easy. Just because we have the seed of faith planted in our hearts concerning Christ does not mean we will not have searing summers of fiery trials…it does not mean we will not be inundated with storms of life…it does not mean that we will not be tempted to sin. When we come to faith in Christ, that seed of faith takes root in our heart and mind…and growth begins…change becomes inevitable!
I remember thinking to myself, “How can I ever love a woman having come out of my old way of thinking?” Yet, as I placed my faith in Christ and in His Word, my old stinking thinking began to be replaced with right thinking…and I was able to be married to Melinda.
I remember being so overwhelmed with the love of God and that love breaking through all the walls of my former sin-prison and those walls being torn down - the chains of my sin being ripped to shreds - that all I could do was thank God for all He had done. In fact, each day I began - and still do to this day - with thanking God for another day of life…and proclaiming to my own soul that today is going to be a great day simply because God is with me and loves me beyond my human capacity to fully understand it!
A life that has been changed and touched by the love of God WILL bear fruit…and one of the main evidences of that change? The fruit of a life forever changed by the love of God. Praise and thanksgiving to the One Who loves me like that!
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
Psalm 34:1 NASB says, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 103:1-2 NASB says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, [bless] His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits…”
Psalm 103:22 says, “Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!”
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
I encourage you to speak forth life into your own life regardless of your circumstances and in spite of how you feel because speaking our thoughts concerning the truth of God’s Word over our own lives will yield the fruit of an overcoming heart and attitude. Make the choice to exalt God and make the choice to rejoice today. It’ll do your soul good…and you will love the fruit this choice will come to bear in your life!
Dennis Jernigan
For a podcast concerning the Fruit of My Lips, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/the-fruit-of-my-lips-1555339604/
Image courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/grapes-wine-fruit-vines-276070/