TODAY’S INSPIRATION: FRUIT OF SUCCESS…

How do you define success? Everybody’s perception of success is not the same. Is it how big a person’s bank account is? Or how big their house may be? Would you say it’s the type of car they drive or how many degrees are behind their name? Even on social media, some may say you are successful if you go viral or have a lot of likes or followers. I could go on but I’m sure you get the point. Unfortunately, this is how the world we live in defines success. But God does not look at the quantity, He looks at the quality.

We are like trees, blowing in the wind. Everything we think we own can be blown away instantly like leaves in a strong storm. But like a tree with  strong roots, we can still stand if we have a good foundation. A Believers foundation is Jesus. We must always seek Him first! Jesus’s standard of success is not the quantity of leaves, but the quality of fruit we bear. We must be willing to let go of the world’s standard of success, because it can hinder the production of good fruit.

Sometimes God will intentionally prune away things and people from our lives, so that we can put Him first and no longer pursue material things or the acknowledgement of others. This does not mean that God wants us to live a life of lack, His wants us to live a life of abundance. His desire however is for us to seek first Him first. This is how we produce good fruit. He will give us our hearts desires as long as they are alien with the Word of God. In order to submit to God’s plan for our lives, we must first deny ourselves and the desires of our heart. We should ask ourselves does this please our Father in heaven? Does this fruit reflect the character and work of Christ. For this to happen, we must deny ourselves in the same way that Jesus denied Himself. Instead of pursuing earthly status and comfort, we seek first the Kingdom of God. To really be successful, we need to seek the fruits of the spirit. This is how the Father is glorified. We are incapable of producing spiritual fruit in and of ourselves. We must constantly abide in Christ and draw our strength from Him, and not only will we bear good fruit, we will be blessed!

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, Which extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.” (Jeremiah 17: 7-8)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5: 22-23)