today our church is in Collossians 3, the final section on submission, where the fruit is humbleness and the strength of the world is never to give in.

JESUS says that if you want to be his disciple, you need to wash each other's feet, take a back seat, think of others first and not yourself, so that HE can use you.

Success wants to have your name placed on the biggest billboard, and remembered in a brass plaque,
JESUS, wants you to give in such a way no one knows so that HE can bless you.

Success wants you to give 20 million to SFU and have the school named after you
JESUS wants you to give sacrificially so much that it hurts, so HE can reward you with a peaceful heart, a a calm disposition, so that you know HE is in charge of absolutely everything where you are concerned,
and that your last breath would be one of praise, because you have come to realize HIS FAITHFULNESS and total provision in everything as it concerns you.

when you do not tithe, you are saying to GOD, you are in total control of your future and HE detests that thinking.

When you do not pray HE dests your conceit, thinking that HE has no interest in you.

When you do not carve out time to read HIS WORD, HE is greatly disappointed, because HE gave us an understanding to acknowledge HIM and have reverence for THE LOGOS, HIS WORD, which became flesh and dwelt among us.

I love this! I think its so easy to get the 2 confused ... success & fruits. This is such a good definition to think about. We've been talking about this in our church too. Like the concept of God's favour. How do we know if God is blessing something? Should it be successful or fruitful or can we in our humanness even accurately assess this? Good food for thought. Thanks for posting Andy.