We want to explore , like , what is the difference between busyness and bearing fruit ? And then how do we identify those things in our lives that , though they may be good , really shouldn't be a part of our lives , and then how do we move on from there to bearing fruit for the Lord ? So , ray , why don't we start first with well , whatever you want to start with , do you have something you'd like to start with ?
Speaker 2Yeah , John 14 , 21 . Yeah , he that has my commandments and keeps them , he that loves me and he that loves me , beloved of my Father . I too will love him and will reveal myself to him or manifest myself to him . Fruit grows silently . It's not a big deal if you grow love as a Christian . And love manifests itself in loving others . And loving others means you're going to warn them there's a hell and they need to repent and trust in Jesus because he died on the cross . And so there's a busyness
. That's really good .
Speaker 2I love the therefore in 1 Corinthians 15 , 58 . Therefore , my beloved brethren , be steadfast . Un . Therefore , my beloved brethren , be steadfast , unmovable , always abounding in the work of the Lord . What's the therefore ? Therefore , we ask it and we go to the previous verses . And if you read the previous verses , they build up to this corruption . She'll put an incorruption . Oh , death , where is your sting Grave ? Where is your victory ? God has destroyed death through the gospel . Therefore , my beloved brethren , be steadfast , unmovable , always abounding in the work of the Lord . And you see it in the book of Acts . They weren't busy doing anything starting businesses , doing buildings or making buildings . Remember when Jesus took to the Mount of Transfiguration and appeared and Peter says , let's just start a building program .
Speaker 3Remember that he said we'll build tabernacles .
Speaker 2And it says because he knew not what he was saying , it was out of his mind . And sometimes we do have things that get us busy building bigger buildings when Europe's full of big buildings that are empty . The church is the people and we've got to remember there's people going to hell and everywhere you look . In the book of Acts , the disciples were busy seeking and saving that which is lost , so there's a busyness that's good and that is the proclamation of God's Word .
Speaker 1We can , though , sometimes be kind of deceived into thinking well , I'm bearing fruit because this is on God's agenda , like I mentioned earlier , but we're neglecting priority . We neglect our wife , our children .
Speaker 3It is easy to think that you're doing the Lord's work because you're doing good things ,
right ? We got to think about that In Luke 10 , 38 to 42 , we have the story of Mary and Martha . Right , martha is busy serving the Lord . That's a good spiritual thing . So she's busy serving the Lord . Mary is busy sitting at the feet of the Lord . One thing was required and that wasn't going to be taken away from her . So here's Mary sitting . So there's a time for sitting , there's a time for service .
Speaker 3And is it possible to be sitting while you're serving , right To be focused at all times ? And George Mueller , what was big on this ? That when he walked he said I would pray when I lay down , I would pray when I would get clean , I would pray . That he was always in a state of prayer . You know Jesus is saying I know your works , I know you're busy , I know all the things that you're doing , I know this . I see all that is going on . Right , I know your works , you have the reputation of being alive , but you are dead , you're morto . Right ? Reputation is very important to us and we think that our reputation is by all the things that we are getting done and getting accomplished . When somebody says , how are you doing , we tend to say all the things that we have been doing , yeah , it's like it's almost like they asked us what are you doing ?
Speaker 3I remember easy did this to me , correcting me one time , uh , several years ago . He asked me how are you doing ? And ? And I told him what I was doing . And easy , you responded . I don't know if you remember this . Your response back was oh , I'm sorry , I think you misunderstood the question . I didn't ask you what you were doing , I asked how you were doing . And if that's a good pause , that's a good question and it's a good rebuke all in the same , because we think that our busyness is attributed to godliness , and
that isn't always necessarily the case . And that isn't always necessarily the case .
Speaker 4We often mistake giftedness for fruitfulness , that often we'll look at our spiritual gifts , our gifts and what we are doing with our lives and productivity . You know , ministries are growing , people are being blessed I'm involved in church service in this way and that way and we lose sight of the reality that we are not growing in fruitfulness , we're growing in busyness , and I think that the reality is well . Adam Mabry says it like this ancient deities demanded the ceaseless work of slaves , the bodies of children , the fires of war to ensure a good harvest . In our modern age , we laugh at such primitive beliefs , but we are just as pagan . The God of this world demands slavish work for our bosses , undernourished relationships with our kids and the fires of political fervor to keep the harvest of hope . Basically , he says like we are worshiping the same false idols , if you will , and the reality is this .
Speaker 4I think the answer is in John 15 , because thank you Mark because we think . I think oftentimes busyness comes from like the hope of being fruitful
. I want to be fruitful , that's why I'm busy , but if you notice , the aim of John 15 is not actually fruitfulness . Watch this it says I am the vine , you are the branches . Watch this it says I am the vine , you are the branches . If a man abides in me and I in him , he will bear much fruit . The aim is not fruitfulness , it's abiding in God .
Speaker 1When we abide in God , fruitfulness develops and we don't settle for simply busy . Yeah , it's not just about the fruit that's being birthed through us , like especially when we're involved in the things of God . It's about the fruit that God wants to birth in us . So we could be looking to do something and we're focused on that , but our heart isn't right , our attitude isn't right .
Speaker 1I mean , you guys think about 1 Corinthians 13 , where we're told about the man who can speak with the tongues of men and of angels . He has all wisdom , he can solve all mysteries , but doesn't have love . The man who gives all of his goods for the poor . The man who gives his body to be burned for other people but doesn't have love . So I mean that's an example of doing things that seem to be fruitful . I mean the guy's selling everything he has and giving it away . The guy's willing to die for the sake . That's fruit ? No , it's not , because it's absent of love . Mark , wouldn't you say that it ultimately comes down to that right ? Loving God and loving people in everything we do ends up being true fruitfulness .
Speaker 3Your best effort without love is as useful as a flat tire , right , and it gets you as far as a flat tire can take you . You've been designed by operating with love , so if you are concerned that you may lack the love , well , there's probably love present . You know , god's probably doing a work inside of you . That's a good sign . If you're feeling conviction , it's a good sign that you are born again , or God's doing a work that only he can do in the midst of you , right ?
Speaker 2And it should be effortless . Love for the Christian should be effortless . 1 Corinthians 15 , 5, . I am the vine , you are the branches , he that abides in me and I in him . The same brings forth much fruit , and that should be
effortless . If you're a Christian , the fruit should be manifest , and that if we've got love , we should easily love people , because it's the love of God that dwells in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . And then I love the most profound words that Jesus said straight in that same verse for without me you can do nothing . Isn't that powerful ?
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Because if there's anything I don't want to do with my life , it's nothing , and it makes me always make sure I abide in him and don't do my own thing , because I want to bring forth much fruit and I don't want to bring forth much fruit just so I can say look at me , I'm a fruit-bearing Christian . I want that love to motivate me to reach the lost . Love , joy , peace , patience , goodness , gentleness , faith , meekness and temperance All those things can be evolved in evangelism . We should have patience with the ungodly , meekness with the ungodly , love with the ungodly , because we abide in him and he abides in us .
Speaker 1It's good to evaluate our motives , but still do the right thing right . So if you're struggling with a motive of , oh am I going to save this drowning child because I want to be glorified as a hero or because I want to save the child , deal with your motives right , like later . It doesn't mean you stop doing what's right , but it means you take your heart to the Lord so that he would refine it and work on it , you know , and bring you to a place where you know you do it for the right reason . And I think a part of that abiding in Christ is acknowledging the Lord . In everything you do , your ambition is to do it for His glory . That distinguishes it .
Speaker 1Because , back to the whole love analogy , right 1 Corinthians 13 , you could seem to be a person who loves God because you do so many spiritual things , but it could be because you want the attention you may give your body to be burned . But it may be because in the back of your mind you want to go down as a hero rather than I want to lift up God . I want to let my light so shine in my mind that they may see my good works and glorify my Father who's in heaven . Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters
podcast . Friends , we value your time , so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped . Without the jokes and fellowship . Be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .