Behave or Bear Fruit?

The leaves were falling in 1976 at Horace Mann Elementary in Iowa City IA. I was a fifth grade pain in the posterior to a student teacher from the U of Iowa in our English class. It was a mess. 

In a stroke of brilliance, my dad came up with the solution: a stealth visit.
He actually came into the class secretly and sat behind the portable chalkboard to observe the behaviour that was being reported to him.

It was a brilliant ambush.

My dad could not believe that a grown man could not control a fifth grader.
Well, he got an earful. It was all true. I had even perfected the martial art move of breaking any hold that the teacher put on me. Boy was i surprised when Papa confronted me (later on at home, thankfully). He expertly questioned me about the class and how things had gone that day. Or course,... i walked right into the trap:) Took the bait right along with the hook.

My face found a new shade of red when he let me know that he was a witness to the one boy three ring circus that day.

Years later, I am thinking about the word behaviour. I'm wondering: God wants us to behave, right? BUT He also wants us to bear fruit. So do we behave and then bear fruit?...or do we bear fruit through good behaviour? Is behaviour a priori?  Please God?  

My observation is that most people see pleasing God in direct proportion to their behaviour. And isn't it true that our behaviour wants to become primary in our relationship with God?
And we judge ourselves by our daily behaviour? We feel good when we are behavin'---we feel bad --guilty--buy self help books --when we are misbehavin'?

It is true that God is concerned with our behaviour---but isn't God more concerned with the root of our behaviour?  Keep asking WHY regarding a poor past behaviour...until you come up with an answer that has to do with your own personal choice.  Then, give yourself a good kick in the posterior.  Let me know how that works.

So what is the best way to position yourself to behave differently?

It seems plausible that Fruit bearers have actions inherent in their fruit bearing that strengthens character and changes their taste for sinful activities.

Maybe...if we concentrated on bearing fruit--we would behave better. 

Jesus said: "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples". Maybe as we concentrate on bearing fruit: our default settings would be reset. And when we rise daily and invite God's forgiveness andgrace to wash over us---we would allow His forgiveness to soak in and truly let bygones be bygones... and forgive ourselves. Even when we terrorize poor student teachers. Amen?

Communication with God: are your fingers in your ears?

Stick your fingers in your ears and say la la la la la la.  What do you hear?

We hear our voices quite well.  Can you hear much else?

I have a friend who said that God is the great Communicator.  If God is the great communicator---what is the problem?

Why can't we hear God?

Is it our problem?  ...is it God's problem?

What is the acceptable way of hearing God?  What are the unacceptable ways of hearing God?

Let me know.

Does God really need more leaders?

Does God really need more leaders?


Maybe God is looking for followers more than leaders.


Think back to the last time you were following someone in a caravan of cars----going somewhere new.  You stayed close and sweated out the stoplights.  You didn't want to get lost.  You weren't sure where you were going but whoever was doing the leading knew where they were going (---ok->all you leader types---admit it ---you love to lead a caravan of cars:)).


So you knew generally where you were going ---maybe---but you basically take the leader's word/actions for the course of direction.  And REMEMBER it is very clear to the leaders and the other followers whether you are following or not (anyone who has ever spoken to a large group of people knows just how obvious it is who is listening---er...following what you are saying). 


We don't follow God so well...but nonetheless God is seeking us (John 4:23)!  ?Have you ever thought how God is seeking you?  We usually put the onus on ourselves to seek God.  But our seeking is actually a response to His seeking us.


Most of grow in our faith from seekers to believers.  We seek and we find. The great news is that once we become a believer of Jesus the Messiah---we find another command/benefit.  This command/benefit/invitation is that we become a follower as well!  Where does belief stop and following begin? It does not stop!  To believe and to follow is interdependent and seamlessly coincidental. 


It could be said that to believe is to follow and to follow is to believe.  It is good to believe in God--(demons believe and shudder)-but following is an altogether different and beneficial experience.   Remember---following is in addition to believing ---not either/or.  One may define pure rebellion to God as pure belief without following the commands of God.


Follow ME..the LORD says.  So what does it mean "to follow"? Jesus said it well in John 10:27 : "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me".


So, once we believe we are invited to follow.   But it also could be said: that once we become a believer---that following is the fruit of belief.  And belief is the fruit of following.  Following God is not simply an intellectual ascent to a set of principles.  Following is Faith AND works.  They go together like hand in glove (the MESSAGE).


So... what are you working on?  What are the products of your daily works? What sort of fruit is on your tree?  Do we have the fruit of the Spirit on our trees?? (Galatians 5:22,23)biblegateway


Or if we take an honest assessment of the fruit on our tree would there be fruit of worry-regret-resentment?....---would there be fruit with product branding on it? --sports memorabilia?  It has been said that what occupies our mind/time/talents bears a sort of fruit. What kind of fruit is growing on your tree?  Does it taste good?


If it tastes sort of not so good---here is a fruit game changer; an invitation to application and further development of your following skills (ONLY if you want to...:).  Rx: Meditate on Galatians 5:24-26 and chew on some tasty ...but slightly "rocky" (as in chewing on rocks) Messianic directives.  


And we will find that these directives are really not optional---they are expected of us. To follow Christ Jesus is to belong to Him; to follow Christ is to crucify our sinful nature with its passions and desires. Ouch!  And since we live by the Spirit... we keep in step with the Spirit.  There it is!  That step thing---that follow thing.


Lets be honest.  We follow all sorts of things...mostly what interests us.  The beauty of the cross is that God's love is evidenced in that while we still sinners Christ (the Messiah) died for us.  God is patient and endures our (like poorly timed farts) foibles to a scandalous degree.   


The Good news is this: If you accept the invitation to be a follower of Jesus---you will find this to be true: You were made to follow God.  It is at the deepest core of who you are/were made to be.


One of the most touching memories regarding following was this Spring in Huron, South Dakota.  This memory is so sweet and it is welling up in my heart right now. 


It was the end of May and the entire Jansen family was together in South Dakota for a funeral.  Lora's Grandpa Johnson had died.  We were leaving the church and going out to the cemetery for the burial service.  


We followed the funeral procession with our lights on through the streets of Huron.   Policemen at major intersections stopping traffic and ushering us through. The lead car with its lights on.  Slow and intentional pace.  Thoughts kept coming like: i wonder what he is experiencing now---can he see us? 


There was a sense of importance and privilege to be honoring this great and humble man. People respectfully pulled over.  There was a visceral sense of importance and gravity as folks showed their respect.  We ran red lights and turned through familiar streets---past Grandma and Grandpa Poe's acreage and towards the countryside.


By this time the highway southbound out of town was a four-lane with a wide median of grass in the middle.  But the amazing thing was that the folks in the northbound lanes were slowing down and STOPPING!  They stopped and even pulled over.  They had done this in town but this meant something different.  They didn't have to stop.  


Man, it was beautiful.


And it was a touching experience.  There are tears welling up even now.  They were pulling over for someone they had probably never met.  They do some amazing things in South Dakota. 


This experience and the emotion.... All because we were following.


PEACE.  And Amen.





First Blog....
This first blog---hats off to Justin Wise.   Thanks Bro!  Thank you for your leadership to the community and LCOH.

Some memories of the young JW: Justin was a mischievous (irresponsibly playful) middle school student in the Faith Lutheran Church Youth Program in 1993.   Justin was enjoyable... and annoying at the same time.  Justin  reminded me of myself at that age.  Justin was always doing something like the "Great Brain" and goading on Pat Babcock to be even more of an annoyance.

Also, Justin's blog Bedeviant is always an arresting experience to log in.   Everytime I type in those words -- I wince (and hold my breath) as i hope that something else does not pop up on my screen-other than his screen  bedeviant.com

Check it out!  It is well thought and technologically nuanced.  Brother,.... all i have to say is that you have come a long way since you decided to put down the paintbrush!

The timeframe of this first blog---three in the morning is dedicated to Mitch Matthews---who has inspired me to blog and domain reserve---as an incredible friend and brother.    He is a dream chaser!   God loves him and so do i!!!

Go and see what he and his wonderful wife and family are up to at : bigdreamgathering.com

Nothing missing...nothing broken.
A blessing for you.
fritz