Years ago I lived in Fruitland, North Carolina. It was apple country, and several of my parishioners were growers. I remember the time I stopped by to pay one of them a visit, and his wife told me he was in the orchard. I found him out there, mercilessly cutting branches. Without thinking, I said, “You’re going to kill that tree!” He turned around and said, “You stick to preaching, and leave the pruning to me.”
This gentleman and I became friends, and it was from him that I learned about the pruning process. Cutting the way he did was necessary to produce an abundant crop of the best fruit. It might look as if the tree was going to die, but new growth would spring from the wounds. Our conversations helped me understand why the Lord sometimes acts as a pruning force in people’s lives.
To get a plentiful crop of spiritual fruit, our heavenly Father must remove anything that distracts or deters us from serving Him. The process is oftentimes painful. I know I have cried out, “More, Lord?” when He has taken the “knife” to me. But the result is always satisfying—I’m a better, more accurate reflection of Jesus Christ after God cuts away a fleshly habit or worldly attitude.
Being loved by God doesn’t mean we’ll be coddled—our comfort is not His primary interest. A grower prunes an apple tree to get a bountiful harvest. In the same way, the heavenly Father sometimes lets us feel pain so He can bring forth greater growth and more spiritual fruit in our lives.
Stop and ask yourself, What kind of light am I? Is your glow possibly a little dull—a flicker that others can see only if they are really looking? Or do you brighten everything up when you walk into a roomful of people? As Christians, we should shine brilliantly, no matter where we are. Even a small flame brings light to the whole room.
Shortsightedness may dim our radiance, causing us to miss out on blessings. Before agreeing to cooperate with the Lord, we may think we have to understand exactly what He plans to do. But we’re called to be faithful ambassadors who trust His Spirit to work as He wants. God tells us, Don’t give Me a schedule—trust Me. Watch Me do it My way in My time, and see what happens.
As a believer, you’re someone special. And as a member of God’s family, you’re indwelt by His Spirit; His light is the radiance within you. In terms of benefit to the kingdom, your life has potential beyond imagination. You have no idea what amazing things He can do—in the workplace, at school, or with family, neighbors, or friends—through your willingness to shine the light of His powerful love.
If you’ll get on your knees and pray, “Lord, I’m available—do whatever You want with my life, and show me what to do,” He’ll reveal the next step. God is willing and ready to move in the life of anyone who chooses to be available for Him.
From a very young age, children observe the behavior of the significant adults in their lives. What a wonderful opportunity this is to influence the next generation for Jesus Christ!
How do we train children in godliness? We start by investing time in their lives. Whether through activities, reading together, or quiet conversation, we can model Christian living through everyday activities.
Listening closely to them is another part of teaching our sons, daughters, and other children in our life. To influence them toward righteousness, we must know what they’re thinking—what’s important to them, what brings them joy, and what bothers them.
Protecting children through discipline is another aspect of godly parenting. When done with love, discipline helps them understand the wisdom of God’s boundaries and the importance of self-control.
Admitting our mistakes is also necessary, as transparency helps children draw closer to parents and teaches them humility. If we seem perfect, our kids find it harder to confess their mistakes to us.
Perhaps the most important aspect of training children is unconditional love. My mother loved me both when I succeeded in school and when I didn’t. Her steadfast care for me made me try to do what she’d find pleasing.
Raising a godly child takes the cooperation of believing parents and family, Christian teachers, and born-again friends. Look for opportunities to spend time with children, listen to their hearts, and demonstrate Christ’s love for them. By modeling godliness, you influence a life for the Lord.
Believers have two main responsibilities—to love God and to love people (Matt. 22:37-40). This is often done by serving. Where and how we serve is based upon our unique talents, skills, and calling, but the one place where we’re all expected to give of ourselves is the local church.
When you trusted Jesus as Savior, the Lord baptized you by the Holy Spirit into His church—the body of believers living all over the world but united by faith in Jesus Christ. You then chose, according to the will of God, to become part of a local, autonomous group of believers. He placed you there because He knows that you are needed (1 Cor. 12:18). You are significant to your home church.
The church is more than a community. It’s an interdependent body with individual members created by God to function in communion with one another. We Christians, like the world at large, are a diverse group of people, and we have to strive hard for unity. But our differences are actually something to be celebrated—each person uniquely contributes to God’s purpose. A church truly operating as a unit, with all its varied gifts, talents, personalities, and intellects focused toward kingdom goals, must be a beautiful sight to the Lord.
Christianity is not a spectator religion. We all have jobs to do in God’s kingdom. The body of Christ functions most beautifully when all members resolve to serve God and each other to the best of their abilities (1 Cor. 12:25). What are you doing for your church?
Corinth was a city characterized by sexual immorality and many other forms of ungodliness. (See 1 Cor. 6:9-11.) Believers there had once been like their fellow citizens—filled with greed, envy, wickedness, deceit, anger, and malice. But now they were new creations in Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and adopted into the family of God. The Corinthian lifestyle no longer matched who they’d become in Jesus.
In that passage from 1 Corinthians, Paul reminded the believers not to be influenced by their culture or old patterns of thinking. The apostle was not warning them that they might miss out on the kingdom. Instead, he was encouraging them to abandon their old ways and bring their behavior in line with who they really were—children of God.
We, too, should know salvation is permanent and faith should positively affect conduct. What’s more, understanding the basis for our salvation—Jesus’ finished work on the cross—banishes fear and fills us with hope.
We could never earn our way into God’s family, nor could we pay our own sin debt. But our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ willingly paid the penalty on our behalf, satisfying divine justice and the Law’s demands (Rom. 3:25-26). To show the sacrifice was accepted, God raised Jesus to life and brought Him to heaven, where He reigns at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19).
What God has accomplished—pardoning our sins, giving us a new nature, and adopting us into His family—no one can undo. That gives us a living hope to sustain and uplift us all our days.
