Day 4: First Fruits and Fresh Catch

Why do we go fishing? To catch fish of course! Sure, there are some people that every now and then just want an excuse to go and sit by the lake’s edge, kick back and enjoy the view. But if I’m going to do that I’m going to leave the pole behind, and have either a cold soda or a hot coffee in hand and just sit! I don’t have any intention to pretend I’m fishing on the lake’s edge. And we shouldn’t be pretending to make disciples in our daily life and daily routine. We shouldn’t be saying we’re preparing our hearts to present ourselves as a living testimony to others while turning our back on every opportunity to encourage, to minister to connect. We shouldn’t turn the possibility of a relationship into a relationslip. Sometimes fish slip away, but it won’t be because of a catch-and-release. When I fish, I want a fresh catch; I want some fruit for my labor. And the same goes for discipleship, no relationslips here!

Fruit of Your Labor

If you are filled with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and you allow him to lead you every day you will bear fruit. The fruit, or results, of allowing God to direct us through the Holy Ghost are the following:

1. You will show spiritual maturity, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and so much more. These are the qualities described in Galatians 5.
2. People will start to follow, or as some translators in the Bible say, imitate you.

A Life Worth Imitating

It’s rather peculiar, in the Greek, at times the same word for “to follow” is also “to imitate.” We follow Christ, but surely we also try to imitate his life as much as possible. But Paul also told his disciples to imitate him, just as he imitates Christ.

• When we attempt to make a disciple, we’re essentially leading them into a relationship where we are asking another person to follow us (to Christ).
• When we present ourselves as a living testimony of the Gospel and have a mutual exchange of the heart so someone may see Christ through us, we are asking for someone to follow—or imitate our life to have a similar experience.

Final Thoughts

It’s scary enough to think we may lead someone to Christ, or someone may follow us to Christ, but it’s a whole other level of terrifying to think they may imitate us because we could be like Christ. Surely not me Lord! But if you bear His Spiritual fruit, you can also bear the fruit of a disciple. You are worth imitating! Today when you pray, pray this prayer:

Lord, when I interact with people today, don’t let them see me, but let them see you. Let there be less of me and more of you. Let me decrease, so you can increase. Let your Holy Ghost touch them, and work through me so I am a living testimony unto others. Let me be more like you, so others will see you.

• Take a moment of self-reflection today. Only two people know the intentions of your heart, you and Jesus. If you need to repent of some things, take the time to do that.

• On a scale of 1-10, if someone followed you, how much would they be imitating Christ? What do you need to change in your life so someone imitates Christ?
• On a scale of 1-10, how much of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5, the grace of Colossians 1, and the righteousness of Philippians 1 do you show in your daily life? The answer to any deficiency is simply surrending more fully to Him.

Biblical Devotion

John 15:1-17  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. (2)  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (3)  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. (4)  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (5)  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (6)  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (7)  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (8)  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (9)  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (10)  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (11)  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (12)  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (13)  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (14)  You are my friends if you do what I command you. (15)  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (16)  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (17)  These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Matthew 13:23  As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

Galatians 5:22-25  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  (23)  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  (24)  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  (25)  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Philippians 1:9-11  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,  (10)  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  (11)  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1:3-8  We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,  (4)  since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,  (5)  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,  (6)  which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,  (7)  just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf  (8)  and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

1st Corinthians 4:16-17  I urge you, then, be imitators of me.  (17)  That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

1st Corinthians 11:1-2  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.  (2)  Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

Ephesians 5:1-2  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  (2)  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1st Thessalonians 1:5-7  because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.  (6)  And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,  (7)  so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1st Thessalonians 2:13-14  And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.  (14)  For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.

Hebrews 6:10-14  For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.  (11)  And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,  (12)  so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  (13)  For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,  (14)  saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”