Daniel Fast Day 1
FRUITFULNESS
Growing Fruitful for His Glory
Welcome to the 2024 Daniel Fast Devotional. Our keyword this year is “Fruitfulness”. In 2023, we learned about being deeply rooted and if we are deeply rooted in Christ, the evidence will be fruitfulness! This is the start of something amazing! The start of a climb, an ascent towards becoming all that God intends for us. It has the potential to change our lives forever. If you think that is an exaggerated statement, then allow the Holy Spirit to change your mindset from a temporal one to an eternal one. Who we are matters, what we do matters, and what we become matters for eternity.
The power to live a fruitful life is not only within our reach, it is actually expected of us. The Heavenly Father expects His children to bear fruit. Let that sink in. You and I are expected to produce fruit if we claim we belong to Christ Jesus. The proof of being a disciple of Jesus is evident by producing fruit. Stop accepting mediocrity in your Christian walk and tolerating things that might be acceptable to the world, but are detrimental to a victorious life in Jesus! If your commitments are weak and your approach to spiritual things is apathetic, you have no one but yourself to blame.
That may sound harsh but the intent is not. We cannot coddle what hurts our spiritual progress or ignore the things that limit our growth in Christ. The Father doesn’t, so neither should we. Jesus said in John 15:1-2(NLT): “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” Non-productive branches are removed and producing branches are pruned for greater productivity. The Father does not want us to accept what is, even if what is, is good. Good can always become great, great can become better, better can become best, best can become awesome, and awesome can become amazing, I think you get the point. There is always room for growth and improvement in God’s vineyard!
The key for us to produce more fruit is our willingness to be pruned and our proximity to the Vine. The deeper our connection with the Vine the more fruitful we become. The more fruitful we become, the more we are willing for the Vinedresser to cut away what hinders greater fruitfulness. “You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” John 15:3-6(NLT)
We understand that fruit cannot simply appear out of nothing. All fruit is connected to a tree, a branch, or a vine. In the same way as followers of Christ, we cannot produce Godly fruit by ourselves. Godly fruitfulness is completely dependent on our connection to the Branch, and that Branch is Jesus. Jesus did not say, you will not produce fruit, He said, you cannot produce fruit! We must permanently damage the idea that we can produce spiritual fruit through simple human efforts because we cannot! Apart from Jesus, all self-effort, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, and self-denial, are nothing but dried up vines ready to be burned. There is no life without the Author and Giver of Life and that is Christ Jesus.
Our emphasis for fruitfulness is not to punish ourselves more or create methods for greater self-denial, it is to simply grow closer to Christ. Through Jesus, we become what the Father desires of us and that is, fruitful disciples. How? By allowing His Word to have the final authority in our lives. If His Word is in us and we remain in Him, good fruit comes naturally. When that happens, the Father is glorified, Jesus is exalted, the saint is edified and the world is being witnessed to!
Our emphasis must change from:
“Give me” to “Make me”,
“Use me” to “Change me”,
“Visit me” to “Fill me”,
“Bless me” to “Keep me”,
“Only me” to “Also others”, and
“My will be done” to “Your will be done”.
“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” John 15:7-8(NLT)
Prayer and Reflection:
Father, thank You for the privilege of prayer. The sacred conversation between You and Your children. Thank You that I can talk to You about all things. Thank You for another year. Help me not to waste or neglect any opportunity to know You better and to abide in You. May my life reflect what I say I believe. May my lifestyle show a deep and Holy awe that I have for You. May You be glorified in all things in my life. Where fruit is absent, please forgive me. Where fruit is scarce, please prune me. Where fruit is evident, please multiply it. Help me to remain in You and give me the wisdom to cling to Your Word. Help me to finish with the same enthusiasm I started with. Help me to grow deeper, stronger, and more fruitful. I pray the same for my brothers and sisters in Christ, to make us fruitful for Your glory! In Jesus Name I pray, amen.
Growing Fruitful for His Glory
Welcome to the 2024 Daniel Fast Devotional. Our keyword this year is “Fruitfulness”. In 2023, we learned about being deeply rooted and if we are deeply rooted in Christ, the evidence will be fruitfulness! This is the start of something amazing! The start of a climb, an ascent towards becoming all that God intends for us. It has the potential to change our lives forever. If you think that is an exaggerated statement, then allow the Holy Spirit to change your mindset from a temporal one to an eternal one. Who we are matters, what we do matters, and what we become matters for eternity.
The power to live a fruitful life is not only within our reach, it is actually expected of us. The Heavenly Father expects His children to bear fruit. Let that sink in. You and I are expected to produce fruit if we claim we belong to Christ Jesus. The proof of being a disciple of Jesus is evident by producing fruit. Stop accepting mediocrity in your Christian walk and tolerating things that might be acceptable to the world, but are detrimental to a victorious life in Jesus! If your commitments are weak and your approach to spiritual things is apathetic, you have no one but yourself to blame.
That may sound harsh but the intent is not. We cannot coddle what hurts our spiritual progress or ignore the things that limit our growth in Christ. The Father doesn’t, so neither should we. Jesus said in John 15:1-2(NLT): “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” Non-productive branches are removed and producing branches are pruned for greater productivity. The Father does not want us to accept what is, even if what is, is good. Good can always become great, great can become better, better can become best, best can become awesome, and awesome can become amazing, I think you get the point. There is always room for growth and improvement in God’s vineyard!
The key for us to produce more fruit is our willingness to be pruned and our proximity to the Vine. The deeper our connection with the Vine the more fruitful we become. The more fruitful we become, the more we are willing for the Vinedresser to cut away what hinders greater fruitfulness. “You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” John 15:3-6(NLT)
We understand that fruit cannot simply appear out of nothing. All fruit is connected to a tree, a branch, or a vine. In the same way as followers of Christ, we cannot produce Godly fruit by ourselves. Godly fruitfulness is completely dependent on our connection to the Branch, and that Branch is Jesus. Jesus did not say, you will not produce fruit, He said, you cannot produce fruit! We must permanently damage the idea that we can produce spiritual fruit through simple human efforts because we cannot! Apart from Jesus, all self-effort, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, and self-denial, are nothing but dried up vines ready to be burned. There is no life without the Author and Giver of Life and that is Christ Jesus.
Our emphasis for fruitfulness is not to punish ourselves more or create methods for greater self-denial, it is to simply grow closer to Christ. Through Jesus, we become what the Father desires of us and that is, fruitful disciples. How? By allowing His Word to have the final authority in our lives. If His Word is in us and we remain in Him, good fruit comes naturally. When that happens, the Father is glorified, Jesus is exalted, the saint is edified and the world is being witnessed to!
Our emphasis must change from:
“Give me” to “Make me”,
“Use me” to “Change me”,
“Visit me” to “Fill me”,
“Bless me” to “Keep me”,
“Only me” to “Also others”, and
“My will be done” to “Your will be done”.
“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” John 15:7-8(NLT)
Prayer and Reflection:
- What does the level of your current fruitfulness reveal about your relationship with Jesus?
- What are you coddling that is hindering your fruitfulness? Have you identified what those things are?
- Will you allow the Father to cut away all the dead things and prune the small producing things in your life?
- Being a true disciple of Christ is evident by the fruit you bear, but it is based on the depth of your relationship with Christ. What can you do to deepen your commitment and connection to Jesus? Are you willing to do it? When will you start?
Father, thank You for the privilege of prayer. The sacred conversation between You and Your children. Thank You that I can talk to You about all things. Thank You for another year. Help me not to waste or neglect any opportunity to know You better and to abide in You. May my life reflect what I say I believe. May my lifestyle show a deep and Holy awe that I have for You. May You be glorified in all things in my life. Where fruit is absent, please forgive me. Where fruit is scarce, please prune me. Where fruit is evident, please multiply it. Help me to remain in You and give me the wisdom to cling to Your Word. Help me to finish with the same enthusiasm I started with. Help me to grow deeper, stronger, and more fruitful. I pray the same for my brothers and sisters in Christ, to make us fruitful for Your glory! In Jesus Name I pray, amen.
Posted in Daniel Fast 2024