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Growth For The New Year

“Growth For The New Year”
Matthew 12.33 
Are you bearing fruit?

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

In a word, what is one thing you do to make something work better? One of my first jobs was roguing where you take a sharp tool with you as walk through a cornfield and cut out weeds or corn that has grown up 'rogue' and bunched together. Early in my college years, I detasseled corn for Pioneer Seed Corn in Iowa one summer. This helped the seed corn company develop its various hybrids of corn. More recently I worked at the local school as a Tech Support Specialist and although I was a coach for teachers in learning how to use tech in the classroom, I also fixed computers, tweaked software, and helped with a myriad of other computer issues. There were times that were frustrating to me because there seemed to be no answers behind why computers did what they did. But most of the time this wasn't the case. Troubleshooting skills were needed in most if not all cases. Oh, and one more thing. One of the first days of being with my new bride was spend at her grandfather's house pruning a couple fruit trees. I can remember trying to hear him explain to me to cut off the 'suckers' from the tree--those branches that grew the wrong direction and if kept on the tree sucked the life out of it.

Matthew 12:33 speaks of renewing your relationship with the Lord and growing spiritually--which essentially means growing closer to God. But there come times in our Christian lives when we need to take an account of what is working and what needs to be changed. 

You will need to read verses 33-37 to get the full content. But once you do think about these questions:
  • Are there ‘things’ people can actually do to grow closer to God? (Some people don’t believe there is)
  • Does spiritual growth ‘just happen’? (It doesn’t, but some people actually believe this is true)
  • The first question of this blog asked you to name something you do to make some ‘thing’ work better; does this translate over into your spiritual life? For example, you may have said ‘Tune up’ or ‘tweak’ or ‘run virus software’ or ‘take to a mechanic’—how would this operate in your spiritual life?

·         Matthew records Jesus saying “make a tree good…for a tree is known by its fruit.” I think we would all agree with this. Why are these religious Pharisees ‘evil’ when they are supposed to be the spiritual leaders? (Their reaction to Jesus was wrong). Is Jesus saying goodness of trees, speaking good, good trees, and the condition of the heart are all the same? (Words betray what the heart is full of!) The phrase ‘every idle word’ means “words that produce nothing” which contrasts the Pharisees saying Jesus casts out demons by Beelzebub vs. Jesus’ words which actually did produce something. Is Jesus saying that judgment day includes what we have said? (‘unproductive words?) Is this serious 'will give an account’? How would people dumb this down and make it no big deal? If we want change in our speech-fruit, where does this passage indicate where we need to start? (the HEART).
·         
      *BING-BING!* How does a HEART get changed? Be specific. Think about what you said in bringing about changes to ‘things’—how do you ‘tweak’ a heart, or ‘run virus software’ or ‘take to a mechanic’?

Let's seek to apply this. Historically, the pathways for spiritual growth have been called ‘spiritual disciplines’ and there are what have been called ‘means of grace’ God has given to see you draw closer to Him. And why not? He wants this more than we do!
·        
      How do Christians show themselves more like Pharisees today?
·         Can you think of a historical person that was close to God? (John Wesley perhaps?) Do you know what they did to be so close to God?
·         Can you name a person today whom you would say ‘has a close relationship with God’? What are the things they do to be so?
·         Do you think this statement is true or false and why, “We are as close to God as we want to be.”

Spiritual growth as drawing closer to God doesn’t just happen—like relational growth doesn’t just happen with our spouse or our children or parents or friends. So what is at least ONE THING you are going to do this next year to be closer to God than you have ever been? What is one 'sucker' you can eliminate from your life this year to help you grow the right way?
I came up with a little rhyming poem to go with this:
·         When the judgment day comes __we must think about our words
·         To dumb this down __would be absolutely absurd
·         ‘Cuz it’s a big deal__to speak for Jesus Christ
·         There’s only One Lord, and __you only get one life!
·         If you want real change__you know where you must start;
·         Speech-fruit springs from__ the bottom of your heart
·         *BING-BING!* How does your HEART get changed?
·         When it comes to God__ it’s all about your range!
·         Read your Bible talk with God and hang with those who do
·         Sin’s virus will be deleted __and have no hold on you
·         Get close to God and __He’ll get close to you
·         It’s the promise that He gives us __so you know it must be true
·         It’s the ultimate tweak, __letting Jesus lead!
·         From the abundance of the heart __the mouth itself with speak
·         Having Christ in your heart will help with what you say
·         It’s like having Bible software run __through your heart and mind all day 
·         Take it from the Greatest Tech, I think you would agree,
·         “To make the fruit good you know begins with the tree!”
·         Let’s have Christ go viral in our hearts and in our homes
·         He wants the REAL you, and not somebody’s clone;
·         He wants the REAL you, and not somebody’s clone.
·         So make it your goal this year __to grow spiritually
·         Because we are as close to God __as we want to be.

  Peace--KK


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