Devotional by Jeriel Williams
This week’s devotional is a staple! You will want to keep this wisdom with you no matter what season you find yourself in. Recent BC graduate Jeriel Williams encourages us with a few keys to producing fruit in any season. So, find a quiet spot, grab some fruit so you can comfortably and appropriately snack and dig into this devotional!
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” - Psalms 1:1-3 NLT
This summer is almost coming to a close and for most of us that means we are entering a season of transition, while for others it represents detachment from certain environments, people, structures, etc. we used to be in. When we transition we can find ourselves feeling lost, unmotivated and even wondering about our effectiveness or fruitfulness. In this devotional, I want to offer some biblical structure for producing fruit in every season - the good, bad, easy, hard - so that even in this transition season, we will still bear fruit.
(Verse 1) “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.”
Our attitude is important because it represents our heart’s posture. As we strive to be like Christ, we have to come to the understanding that we must have our moral compass in line with the Word of God. The world may swing the pendulum left and right, and culture may dictate what’s acceptable or not, but we ourselves must be set apart from this and remain in His unshakable truth and values. Paul tells the church in Philippi to “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:3-5 NLT. There may be some things that the Holy Spirit is calling us to be set apart from in order to produce fruit in our lives.
(Verse 2) “But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”
Adoration is defined as deep love, respect and worship. Producing fruit comes from us being connected to the True Vine - Jesus Christ. As we dig deep into our life-long relationship with Christ, there are fruits that will rub off on us. Fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and so on. Bearing these fruits allows others to see Christ in us. In the book of Acts, some of the disciples were preaching and it was stated that the crowd knew they had no special training, however they could tell that they had been with Jesus. Extending your adoration towards God through prayer, worship and reading the Word produces lasting fruit within us.
(Verse 3) “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Let me say that this is no cheat code to a life without worries or struggles. However, this provides us with the immovable foundation during those times and that is how we can have peace among chaos. That is truly bearing fruit in every season. The fruits of the spirit are heart postures for us internally and not based on external circumstances, but they can definitely be used to positively affect others. Let us keep in mind to impact our environment from our internal shaping from the Holy Spirit.
Through seasons of transition there is no limit on the amount of fruit we can produce. We, ourselves, put a cap on that aspect which means with the right posture of attitude and adoration the amount of fruit will come in abundance!
