Page 26 - Psalms Ebook

Now one thing I love about this. You ask, “what is the
responsibility of a Christian?” The only responsibility of a Christian is
to drink. That’s it. Just drink. Take Him in. As you drink from the
“Rivers of Life” and “Abide in the Vine” the Lord will see to you
bearing much fruit. Stop trying to produce or control the fruit. Your one
and only responsibility is to absorb. Take in the sunshine, take in the
rain, take in the nutrients from the soil, – God has made every provision.

I used to think that a Christian was just someone who lived by
rules and regulations. Not anymore. A Christian is someone who
delights in the Lord. Who delights in the law of the Lord. Who drinks
from God’s supply. Who is planted by the river. Christians are like a
tree planted by the river; the ungodly are not even compared to a tree.
They are compared to that which is intrinsically worthless – the chaff
which the wind blows away. There are no roots in the ungodly at all.
None, whatsoever. They are not only cut off from the soil, but they are
cut off from the Vine itself. They have no union with Christ!

I love this in verse four. He is not only planted by the river, but
he is fruitful and he prospers. You have to keep that together because,
again, in my life I messed that up. I think every place it is possible to
mess up, I have been there. God really took us over some bumpy roads.

I used to be so fruit conscious in my life and I would constantly
be looking for fruit. If I was not leading somebody to Jesus, if I was not
evangelizing, if I did not have the fruit of the Spirit – joy, love, peace,
long-suffering, and all that king of thing – I would say, oh, I am
backslidden. I am far, far away from God. I love verse 3:

“Who brings forth its fruit in its season.”

It is not always the season for fruit. Do not condemn yourself if
you are not fruitful. Sometime it is not the season. There is a time for
labor. There is a time for rest and seasons where there is no harvest in
your life. That does not change a thing. Fruit is one thing, foliage is
another. Look at my life. You might not always see fruit, but I hope you
always see foliage. I hope you always see the green. I am ever green,
and I do not care if I am bearing fruit or not.

I used to look at this Psalm and say: I want to be a happy Christian,
and I went after happiness. Or, I want to be a fruitful Christian, and I
went after fruit. I want to be a prosperous Christian, and I went after
success. Then God taught me to go after the Lord. And when I went
after the Lord, I found my happiness. When I went after the Lord, I