Bearing Fruit, Devotional

Bible

Angel

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."

1 Timothy 4:15 (KJV)

Two brothers were out walking on their father's vast acreage when they came upon a peach tree, its branches heavy with fruit. Each brother ate several juicy, tree-ripened peaches.

When they started toward the house, one brother gathered enough peaches for a delicious peach cobbler and several jars of jam. The second brother cut a limb from the tree to start a new peach tree. When he got home he carefully tended the tree-cutting until he could plant it outdoors. the branch took root and eventually produced healthy crops of peaches for him to enjoy year after year.

The Bible is like the fruit-bearing tree. Hearing the Word of God is like the first brother. He gathered fruit from hearing the Word and had enough to take home with him to eat later. But that doesn't compare with having your own peach tree in the backyard. memorizing the Word is like having the fruit tree in your backyard. It is there to nourish you all the time.

Scripture memorization is often considered a dull, burdensome task. But we could get highly motivated if we were given one hundred dollars for every Bible verse we memorized! The rewards of Scripture memory may not always be monetary, but they are afar better treasure for life.

One of the greatest values of Scripture memory is that it keeps us from sin. In Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) the psalmist wrote: "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

You see, if we don't know what His Word says, we can sin without even knowing and as believers, that's the last thing we want to do.

For many people, the morning is the best time to memorize Scripture because one's mind is fresh, alert, and free from distractions. There are many different ways to memorize Scripture. Find the one that works best for you and begin hiding God's Word in your heart so it may bring continued life and nourishment to you. This will produce fruit in your life which you can share with others.