Tag Archives: godliness

June 6
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Uncategorized Aside

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4, NIV)

According to God’s word (Galatians 5:22-23a), the fruit of the Spirit — that is, the outward expression of God’s presence within us — is this: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

It may take a while for a tree to actually produce the fruit it was created to bear; and it may take us a while to mature into the disciple whose life is known for love, joy, peace, and the other manifestations of God’s life within us. However, we shall never realize our destiny in this regard without abiding in Christ.

Make Him the One in whom you “live, move, and have your being” (Acts 17:28), and your life will bear fruit. Guaranteed.  – Luther

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January 9
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Uncategorized Aside

“If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.” (1 John 2:4, NLT)

Here is the essence of knowing God: Obedience to His commandments.

It is not doing great things in God’s name that shows we know Him.  It is not acquiring volumes of knowledge about God that shows we know Him. It is not the depth of our sacrifice that shows we know God. To know God is to obey His commandments.

God’s commandments are to love God with all our being; and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  (Please see Mark 12:30-31.)

To be sure, to do great things in God’s name; learning all we can about Him; and sacrificing ourselves for His name’s sake are honorable ambitions.  However, unless these and other works begin at God’s initiative, our labor and our accomplishments are in vain.

Let complete obedience to our Creator and our God be our daily goal. It is only through obedience that we become like Him.  – Luther

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