A harvest of words

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 13:15-25

TO CHEW ON: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." Hebrews 13:15


Fruit is not the first step of the growing cycle. It's closer to the last. We need seeds, germination, nurturing, growth, ripening before we get fruit.

If what comes out of our mouths is "fruit," it is the result of what's gone on before. That happens mostly in our minds.

What seeds are we planting—or allowing to be planted? Are they thought seeds that will lead to the fruit of praise? What thoughts are we allowing to germinate, watering with our attention and concentration, ripening as self-talk until they spill out as the "fruit of lips"?

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that it's "Through Jesus..." that whatever our situation, it is or can be reworked into something praiseworthy. This "praise" is not a false optimism, though it may not always be what comes naturally but rather a "sacrifice."

Let's listen to the fruit of our lips. If we discover a harvest of fear, complaining, negativity, criticism, discontent etc., let's look into the earlier part, the thought part, of the "fruit of lips" process.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to keep the soil of my mind full of Your truth. Amen. 


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.