Daily Devotional: Monday, Jan 25
Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Love
Weekend Music links on iTunes: All Over the World by Matt Redman; Majestic by Lincoln Brewster; To the Ends of the Earth by Hillsong United; Healer by Kari Jobe.
Read: Jeremiah 17: 5-8; Psalm 1:1-3; John 3:5 and 4:10
Think: A seedling has been planted; it will grow at a slow or fast rate, based on where it is planted. From biblical symbolism (see Jeremiah 17: 6) a tree planted in the desert ends up a stunted shrub but a tree planted along a riverbank never stops producing fruit. Psalm 1:1-3 describes the same symbolism. In the new Timberlake series Amped, Relationships that Rock, we're learning about how the fruits of the Spirit can energize our relationships.
Like fruit bearing trees in nature we produce fruit only as a byproduct of being planted in the right place and drawing on the water of the Word. John 3:5 talks about us being born of water and the Spirit. Receiving Christ as our Savior plants us by the river. John 4:10 tells us if we drink the living water we will never thirst again.
A tree doesn't put out effort on its own to produce fruit. You never walk by a fruit tree and hear it groaning or moaning to produce its fruit. We're the same way; if we get planted in God and continually delight in His Word we will yield love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in season.
Do: Check your roots. Are you planted in God? Are you drinking the living water on a daily basis? Read the Jeremiah, Psalms and John passages and meditate on it this week. See if a few buds show up.
Pray: Lord, I want to produce the fruit of your Spirit in my life and impact all my relationships. Help me wake up every morning this week and visualize a tree (me!) planted by the river and drawing nourishment from your living water. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church. |
