For those of you who don't know, I'm currently going through my One Year Bible that I got a couple years ago. January 18th is honestly farther than I've ever made it before, and I'm loving every Word that the Spirit breathes into me. I've changed a lot over the years, and I'm realizing that it's time to grow up and get serious about my faith and what I believe. No more of this little kid stuff. Hence, why I want to start blogging and writing more. Hence, why I have close to 30 books stacked up on my dresser ready for me to dive into them. Hence, why I'm leaving video games behind (that blog will come later, come to think of it). I've told myself a couple times in the almost three weeks that we've been in 2012, "This is my year. This is where I step up." Fact is, I'm changing, and I couldn't be more happy about it. They've always said that New Years' is a good place to start something or change your life, and I've always believed it. I've never experienced it before. You can believe something all you want, but until you experience it, that's where concept becomes truth.
But enough of my rambling, I just wanted to share some stuff with you guys today that I read. Today's reading that stuck out to me was in Matthew 12:22-45 and Psalm 16:2. Little background first, though. Obviously Psalm 16 was a song written by David. At what time of his life, I'm unsure. The Scripture in Matthew 12 is generally all about the Pharisees challenging Jesus and, of course true to form, Jesus blowing their minds. 22-29 talks about a house divided against itself (unity within the church). 30-37 talks about judgment and sin. 38-42 talks about how the people are asking for a sign that Jesus is the Son of God and he gives them the sign of Jonah (three days in the belly, three days in the tomb). Lastly, 43-45 is an interesting passage about casting out demons and evil. Strangely enough, the latter is the one that stuck out to me, and 33-37 as well. Especially when you tie it back into Psalm 16:2.
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then, it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." Okay, so basically there were these Jewish exorcists back in Jesus' day who would cast out demons, but not do it using Jesus' power and healing. The demon would leave, yes, but spiritually the person would remain unchanged because he didn't have the Jesus in him. He could do all the good works and follow all the laws he was supposed to (the house unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order), but because he didn't have Jesus the demon could then go out and come back in--the man was still susceptible to evil. Let's go back to 33-37:
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
This passage is pretty straight forward. Black and white. You are what you eat. The tree (human) is recognized (spiritually) by its fruit. You will be able to look at someone and should be able to tell if they are a Christian or not by the fruit in their life--things like making disciples, walking in faith, taking care of the poor, sins of omission, sins of commission, worship, walking in love, etc...). "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Wow. This past summer when I worked at camp, the meaning of the word "Heart" in the Bible has forever been changed. In those days the word "Heart" meant everything you are. It wasn't just your physical body or physical acts, it was everything--your mind, your body, your soul, your strength. Everything. It was who you are. So when I read, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks", what I really see is, "For out of who you are, what you do, who you worship, and how you walk, that is your example and how you are seen." We will all be judged by our hearts. To quote my youth pastor, "To me it's a heart issue..." So true.
Lastly, Psalm 16:2, "I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'" We can do all the good stuff we want and take care of the world, but what does it mean if we don't have God in our lives? It's like that demon that leaves and comes back to find the man's heart still victim to the sin in the world. It's like a rotten plant that can not produce good fruit.
So with all that written, let's tie it all together. All the "good" in the world is pointless unless you do it with one name only on your lips. Jesus. The word "good" when said in a neutral prospective is relative. What is good? What's good for you may not be good for me. Where is the absolute in "good"? With Jesus and faith, however, "good" becomes good. Jesus is good. And when you do good, when you walk in love in Jesus' name, that's where your fruit lies. Without Him, all of our works, all of our "good" is pointless. "LORD, you are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing." The only salvation and the only "good" on this earth is Jesus. Just like the Jews Jesus spoke to in Matthew, you can do all the "good" things and follow all the laws of the Prophets, but you're still susceptible to the enemy and evil. Unless you have Him, all your "good" is worthless.
So if people look at your fruit, do they see "good", or do they see Jesus?
--DyingAnOriginal
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