Focus: Luke 8:15 - KJV
15. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11-15
The knowledge of God is premised on the facts we obtain from the word of God and particularly the preaching of the messenger of the Lord. When the message is preached, if it meets with a good heart, the heart absorbs that which is preached, processes it with a view to bringing forth the juice in it, internalizes the juice and makes it a part of the cognitive records of the person, with a view to drawing from it from time to time. Over time, whenever the person encounters a matter around the subject which is now a part of his store of knowledge, he is careful not to act in a way that violates that which he knows about God through his word. By that, he is said to bring forth good fruit.
Zacchaeus was the chief amongst the publicans and, from conduct, was looked upon as a sinful man. When he heard so much about God through the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, he sought to meet, know and hear from the Lord directly but he was small in stature and was thereby deprived because of the crowd around Jesus. So, he climbed a tree to achieve his desire. Eventually, he achieved it in that Christ noticed and called him to Himself. The man who was a sinner cheating others was of a good testimony when others accused him of being a sinner. The word which he had heard over time, and upon meeting and hearing directly, had convicted him and he was full of virtue that depicts godliness. There were others who heard the same word but hardened their hearts and the word did not profit them even though they assumed, albeit wrongly that they were no sinners like Zacchaeus, the one whom the word had profited.
It is important, as believers, that we allow the word of God to wash us of all impurities by making sure we value the word, internalize it, sieve it by processing it upon the written word of God and begin to act on the juice derived therefrom. When we refuse to bring forth fruit of godliness after hearing the truth of God, it is that we have refused to make our hearts a receptacle thereof and therefore did not allow the word to become a part of us and indeed, such a heart can never be pleasing to God. Let our hearts therefore, be tender and attentive every time we are confronted with the preaching of the word so as to take the meat thereof, make it a part of our beings and draw from it to use in life.
SOLUTION: Pay attention to the word of God to receive the juice thereof, internalize it and make it the instructor of your actions going forward. Be careful to sieve the word that you receive by placing it on the test of the written word as whatever is at variance with the written word ought to be handled with caution as it may not be true of God.
Please pray:
· Give thanks to God for the word that is available to you and the pastors that He has appointed for you
· Ask God to please separate from you agents of the devil that parade themselves as preachers of the word so that you will not be fed with tares for corruption
· Pray that the Lord by His Spirit will expunge from you whatever seed of violence that the enemy has sown in you and replace them with the seed of love and purity
· Pray that the word of God will find more good hearts to be sown in, so that the earth may be rid of violence by reason of the word of truth
· Ask for your daily bread today. Lay particularly before the Lord those areas where the enemy may be buffeting you and ask the Lord for His help
If you are blessed by this post, kindly share with your contacts, as well as others, that they may be blessed also. Thank you and may God bless you abundantly as you do so, in Jesus’ name.
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