Lots of Fruitfulness

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30 KJV)

Click on the following scripture references and the links will take you to an online Bible where they may be read:  Matthew 13:1-23 will give you Jesus’ parable – and His explanation – of the sower.  Ephesians 5:9 and Galatians 5:22-23 give the fruit that grows from His word. But no one will know this unless they open their Bibles and read. We know that from Romans 10:17. Having read all of those, we can see how important reading the Bible is – especially since we can also read Hebrews 11:6. Got it?

Maybe not, if you haven’t read all of those verses in context. The Matthew 13 reference pretty much tells an entire short story – very short, but important. The other references are much shorter – and I may have taken them out of context. It is necessary to read many more verses around them to be certain what they state is valid. It helps to know something about the author, the historical timeframe but most of all, the inspiration – explained in II Timothy 3:16.

All of the above is leading in to a challenge to the youth in our church, as well as why I write a blog. A paragraph from BEAMS explains:

The purpose . . . is to promote regular reading of God’s Word.

Our Youth Minister, Kenneth Ralph, is giving our youth a pamphlet for Bible reading, part of a ministry by Faith Baptist Church called BEAMS. Since my first blog was about 2004 in a closed group on Yahoo360 intended to encourage Bible reading by our Jr Hi Girls Sunday School class, I’m totally in favor of a program encouraging young people to pick up their Bibles and read!!

From the failed Yahoo360, I moved to a full blog on Multiply – which shortly died – and then to its current home, Google’s Blogger.com which offers their service free. I do not take advertisers, and I’m not the least bit concerned that the audience is small. I believe those who seek will find, based on several verses through the Bible:  Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Luke 11:9, but especially Hebrews 11:6. And that leads back to the Bible:

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:14 KJV)

That’s why I’m writing to send people to God’s inspired word – what we call the Holy Bible – where they read for themselves that God provides what we need to learn of Him.

Jesus taught His disciples for only three years – and they didn’t understand. All, even Peter who said he would be faithful no matter what (Matthew 26:33-75), betrayed Him the night He was arrested. Peter later wrote that God’s inspired message was hard to understand (II Peter 3:15-16). It takes spending time reading the Bible and discussing what is read with people experienced in reading theirs.

The best place to begin is in a church:

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 KJV)

The best time to begin is right now.