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September 11th
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THE WORD PRODUCES FRUIT
Matthew 21:14 "And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them."
MATTHEW 21:12-1
When we, who are the temple of the Lord, are occupied with the cares of this life, the needs of others are not met. However, when we are cleansed (Jn. 15:3), then the Lord can accomplish His ministry through us.
Jesus tells us not to worry or be anxious about our material needs being met. It would be impossible to never think about our physical needs, even Jesus thought about His need for money to pay taxes. We are simply not to be occupied with thinking about riches or spend time worrying about our necessities. They will be added unto us as we seek first the kingdom of God.
Prosperity can be damaging to the Body of Christ. God wants to bless His children with things, but a preoccupation with these things will choke God's Word and make it unfruitful. If we follow God's formula for prosperity found in Matthew 6:19-34, then the Word will bring forth fruit and we will enjoy the physical blessings of this life too.
There are people who have received God's Word, committed themselves to it to the degree that they are able to remain faithful in persecution, but because of being occupied with the affairs of this life, the Word sown in their heart is choked and no fruit is produced. Just as weeds in a garden will steal the nutrients and starve the plant, so the pleasures of this life, if we allow them to dominate our thinking, will stop the fruit of the Word from producing.
It takes time, effort, and diligence to be a fruitful Christian. It's quicker and easier to raise weeds than it is to raise tomatoes or corn. Let God's Word produce fruit in you.
