The Search For Identity预览

THE FRUITFUL ROOT When we believe the word of God and receive Christ as His incarnated Word, we become grafted onto His holy root. We become the first fruits of His harvest. Since the root, that is Christ, is good, we by our faith in Him become the good branches. If the branches are truly connected with the holy root, then it will bear the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. We become holy or perfect as the Father by virtue of our faith in His perfect Son, our Root. The Word of God says that the “leaves will be used as medicine and the fruits as food.” Our thoughts and words in the course of our lifetime are as numerous as the leaves of a tree. Our thoughts and words should be used to heal, to help, to encourage, to reflect God's wisdom, to ease tensions, to deliver from pain, to bless. The fruits of a tree are relatively less numerous when compared with the leaves. The fruits are our godly actions. Our actions should nourish and strengthen people in their faith and lives. The fruits are also the contributions we make to the world in making it a better place in some small or big way. The child of God is compared to the olive tree as the olive tree endures for many hundreds of years. Its leaves symbolize peace. Its fruit, the olives are useful to be eaten as well as to extract oil. The Psalmist adds that our children will be like olive plants while the believing wife is like a fruitful vine. There are many wild and degenerate vines but Jesus is the true Vine. We need to live our lives conscious that we are grafted onto Him. We must not bear thorns and thistles or bramble, that are fit only for the fire to consume. Such thorns and thistles are used to pierce and hurt people as it was used to pierce the holy brow of Jesus with a crown of thorns. We must therefore take care not to use our words to sting others or our actions to hurt others. Rather, our words should heal, build up the faith of others and our actions should point people to the love of God.