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Learn How to be the Wise, the Good, the Wheat, and the Sheep
August 15, 2024
Hey Clawson Family!
Song:
Scripture:
Matthew 7:15-20
The Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
Devotional:
If we are not careful when we read Matthew 25, then we could get very confused and think that doing good works or not doing good works will get us into heaven or keep us from heaven. And we know that cannot be true because the thief on the cross had not done any good works after his salvation, and he went to be with Jesus.
The purpose of Jesus giving us this list: I was hungry, and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink, homeless and you took me in, was not for us to focus on works. It was to show us what our lives are to look like the closer we get to Jesus. The more that we know and follow Jesus, the more like Jesus we become. And if Jesus was on the earth today, this is what He and His disciples would be doing.
So, if that is accurate, then if His spirit is on the Earth leading His disciples today, this is what we will be doing because we will be following the teachings of Christ. It is not am I or am I not doing the right work and how much I need to do. The works are simply here to help us gauge if we are living for ourselves or if we are living for Jesus.
Matthew 7 goes deep into this when discussing identifying people by their fruit. He says just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, you can identify people by their actions.
He says this because the more you follow Jesus and follow his teachings, the more your actions become like those who are of the kingdom of Heaven and the less like those of the world.
So, how do we learn to be good, wise, wheat, sheep… We give our lives to Jesus, follow his teachings and his spirit. We get connected in the family of Jesus. We continue to mature in our walk with Christ as a disciple of Christ. And we gage our maturity, Christianity, our transformed life by looking at the actions that our lives are producing and making sure they line up with who Christ has called us to be.
And if we find that they are not…. Then we should ask ourselves the question….am I following Christ and allowing him to transform my life? Or am I still a part of those who do not know Him?
Journal:
In your journal, write down what you felt spoke most to you when you read Matthew 7. Then, answer the following questions. How would your fruits identify you? Do your actions identify you as wise, sheep, and good?
Training:
Father God,
I ask You to make me a new person so that the fruit of my life may be good and abundant. Give me wisdom in every decision I have to make in this new year. Open my eyes to see. Enlighten my mind to understand. Guide my steps to do your will.
In Jesus’ name. Amen
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