Having a life that has meaning
Have you ever felt that some people seem to be productive in almost everything they do? In our land we have become very conscious of being productive as the main goal in life. We are given once a month from the government a report of our gross national product which is a picture of our national economic health. What would it be like if each month we were given an individual productivity report? Would each month say we are being productive? What do you define if you were asked what productive life is? More important is what God’s standard for a productive life is? We have talked about the fruit of the spirit and there are nine in all. Let us look at God’s standard according to John 15:1-8.
Giving Your Best by Rick Ezell “People were overwhelmed with amazement, ‘He (Jesus) has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak’” MK 7:37
People living significant lives pursue excellence. Jesus was committed to excellence. The New Testament writer Mark reminds us that God gave his very best-his Son. And his Son gave his very best-his life. His followers should do no less. Less than our best is too little considering the fact that God has given us his very best. In view of all the Lord has done for us, less than our best is less than adequate. Whatever our role, our position, our organization, or our lot in life, we should strive for the best. The measure of our success should be based on our character and what we give.
Excellence does not mean being the best, but being your best.
Excellence is not success. Success means being better than everyone else is. Excellence is being better than you were yesterday. Success means exceeding the feat of other people. Excellence means matching your practice with your potential.
Excellence is not perfectionism. Perfectionism means doing everything perfect. Excellence is doing the best you can with what you have.
Excellence is not being “good enough.” Just “good enough” is an excuse attitude that is negative and defeating. Excellence is going the extra mile. Excellence knows that good enough is not good enough.
Excellence is not arrival. Arrival says, “I’ve mastered it. I’ve done it. I have arrived.” Excellence is found in the journey, not in the destination. Excellence is a process, the lasting pursuit of quality.
Being our best comes easier when we are in the right place using our gifts and talents for something we care deeply about.
Discover your role. Excellence requires finding what we do well then doing it. When we discover our role it helps us exercise our spiritual gifts and natural talents. Consequently, it helps us to prioritize our time, finances, and other resources. It aids us in saying no to the many demands, comparisons, and comments that might sidetrack us. Give attention to detail. The difference between something good and something great is the attention to detail. In the end people will never know how long it takes one to do something. They will only know how well it is done. It takes work to achieve excellence. There are no shortcuts. God plays an important role in that process. And we play an important role, too. All excellence involves discipline and persistence of purpose.” Focus your mind. Your mind needs to stay in the present in order to pay complete attention to the task at hand. In my pursuit of excellence I have discovered that champions are more willing to give than to get. They go the extra mile. They move beyond expectations. They strive for higher standards.
Did you know the word fruit appears 66 times in the N. T.? Fruit is given in three categories which are the kind we eat, babies being born and Christ like character. John 15:8 “My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.” John 15:16 “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” We want to look at the conditions for being fruitful as given in the Bible. This might take 4 Sundays so you do not want to miss the next three.
1. The first on our list is that we need to develop roots in what we believe. JER 17:7-8 "But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.” This tells us that without roots we will not have fruit. Without roots we will not make it through the tough times when there is drought or we are faced with hard places or when we face pressure. Without an anchor we will not hold up. Roots do not come but need time to go down deep so that they will hold us up.
To help us understand this we need to go out to California and take a view of the Red wood trees. They have withstood major forest fires because they have a solid root system. There are trees out there that have withstood 4 to 5 slash in their trucks and are still living because they had a root system. When I lived in Oregon and in Montana I saw some great forest fires that that took out many trees and it was because they did not have a solid root system. We face fire and heat as Christians and need a root system that makes us stand through it all. We also have the example of the Oak tree which when we learn about its root system make us understand why we call it the mighty Oak. Their root system stretches out for miles and miles underground. There is also the banana tree which is almost indestructible. You can chop it up and it will grow back. You can burn it down but it will come back. The only way is to uproot the tree. Roots we see here by these trees are the reason they bear fruit. PR 12:3 Wickedness never brings stability; only the godly have deep roots. People who are right with God can with stand the heat that comes in living in an evil world.
I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue and clouds of white. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shakin’ hands, sayin’ "How do you do?" They’re really saying, "I love you."
I hear babies cryin’, I watch them grow They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Oh yeah
They are also known to with stand the times of drought. When there is no rain and resources are limited. In the times when things dry up and some things die. The righteous continue. There come times in our lives when we have to do without the things on which we normally depend upon. Things that we might face or have faced are poor health, without a job, needing a friend or times when it seems you are in a spirit of despair. It might be time when it seems you lack energy, time or money that you really need. How can we handle the dry spells in our lives? When things get dry it is easy for them to be blown away. We can look in Arizona for this contrast. It is there we can find the tumbleweed that is blown every where. It has no roots. As you look out you can find the saguaro cactus that is able to bear fruit even in 130* weather. The reason being is that its roots go out 50-60 feet in all directions. As we know most of us can survive a drought for a day or two but what happens when we face an extended time of stress? It could be a family problem. You receive a call from someone that tells you a very distressing problem they have with you. You have always had Christmas time together but now you are not sure what will happen. You make a call to try and straighten things out but no result. You ask the person to forgive you and to let you know about getting together. No call is made back and so there is stress. Finally the decision is made to get together but now how will you react when you see that person? If you are not rooted in God things will not go well.
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preacher’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday." We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.
How do we develop roots? It has to be in the Bible that we turn. PS 1:2-3 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Let us mark his positive character. He delights in the law of the Lord. He is not under the law as a curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it as his rule of life; he delights to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night. He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he reflects on the Word of God. In the day of his affluence he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book. The law of the Lord is the daily bread of the true believer. In David’s day, how small was the volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word! Let me ask you; is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s Word? Do you make it your best companion and hourly guide? The godly man will read the Word by day, that men, seeing his good works, may praise his Father who is in heaven; he will do it in the night that he may not be seen of men. Meditation helps the renewed heart to grow upward and increase its power to know the things which are freely given to us of God. VS. 3. And he shall be like a tree planted, not a wild tree, but "a tree planted," chosen, considered as property, cultivated and secured. He puts himself by the rivers of water; so that even if one river should fail, he has another. The rivers of pardon and the rivers of grace, the rivers of the promise and the rivers of communion with Christ, are never failing sources of supply. The man who delights in God’s Word, being taught by it, brings forth patience in the time of suffering, faith in the day of trial, and holy joy in the hour of prosperity. MT 15:13 “Jesus answered, "Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots.” COL 2:6-7 As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in him. Keep your roots deep in him and have your lives built on him. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always be thankful. EPH 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. To have roots we have to spend time in God’s word reading it, meditating on it, memorizing it and obeying it. That is the only way to have strong roots. Then when times of drought or stress come we will stand true to God and be blessed.
