Are You Works Based Or Do You Bear Fruit

☕️Coffee With Jesus☕️

Based on Romans 2:12-16

“For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God.  It is OBEYING the law that makes us right in His sight.” —Romans 2:13

As I dig into the rich history of Romans and look at the church in Rome I see an interesting movement and shifting taking place.  

Paul speaks to it in noting how the Jewish Christians have everything they need (from the known and physical side of things) to walk closely with the Lord.  They had scripture, tradition, culture, and community...but they were totally MISSING the gift God had given them because instead of it making them closer to God it made the puffed up, arrogant, judgemental. They became hearers of the Word.  They KNEW their Torah, but they were not acting as a people who knew their God.  

On the other hand...here come these gentiles.  They lacked the rich culture, community, and knowledge of scripture and yet they were filled with a hunger to KNOW GOD personally.  

I go back to what God showed me yesterday...Fruit or Works?  

💔WORKS:  Many of the Jews were very works based. (Works is motivated by human effort)  They knew the law, but they didn’t really know their Lord.  

💝FRUIT:  The Gentiles were displays of His glory as their fruit pointed others back to God.  They had nothing to do with fruit blooming...it came out of their relationship with God. 

This morning the Lord is reminding me again and again...quiet times are not about gaining knowledge, but getting to know the ONE WHO IS KNOWLEDGE and wisdom all wrapped up in ONE!

“And this is the message I proclaim.  The day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s SECRET thoughts.” — Romans 2:16

💔WORKS will store up sin in my secret life.  

💔WORKS causes me to perform.  

💔WORKS makes me want to follow rules and check boxes.

💔WORKS leads to DEATH!

💝FRUIT will store up blessing in my secret life.

💝FRUIT causes me to rest, while GOD performs His work through my life

💝FRUIT makes me want to follow the Holy Spirit.

💝FRUIT leads to LIFE!

Lord, I want to know you and not just know about you❤️