But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NV)
If you tasted and saw my fruit,
What would you find?
If you looked deeper than the surface,
Would you discover rot within my vines?
I live by the fruit I bear.
It nourishes my soul.
But what becomes of me
If I allow that fruit to wither?
Heat has the greatest influence on fruit.
Watering twice a week is no longer enough.
The heat draws the water from the roots
and drains the nutrients from the soil.
If the plant is not watered every day,
what hope does it have of producing good fruit?
So it is with the soul.
The trials of life, the pressures of this world,
the relentless heat of every season,
pull life from us little by little.
Yesterday’s watering cannot sustain today’s battle.
We cannot survive on Sunday’s encounter
or last week’s prayer.
We must come daily
to the Living Water.
For only when our roots remain deep in Christ
can our fruit remain sweet,
our branches stay strong,
and our lives continue to bear
what He has called us to produce.
h/t KV
Living Water,
Our confidence is in you, Lord. We remain in you – abiding in your Presence – because we trust you and know you are the way of life. Help us to daily drink from your spiritual well so that we produce good fruit throughout our lives. When we get pulled away from you by the pressures of the world that are not of you, draw us back into the depths of your love. Holy Spirit, grow within us your Fruits so we may bless the world around us with every spiritual blessing. We ask these things in the strong name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.
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. “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 15:4-5 NIV)
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:16-20 NIV)
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 NIV)