Day 14: Fruitful Day

 WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WEAR TODAY?

What do you

PUT ON FIRST when you wake up in the morning?

Before your clothes.

Before your shoes.

Before you even walk out the door,

what are you WEARING on the INSIDE?

When I

PUT ON ANXIETY, I walk through the day ANXIOUS.

When I PUT ON FEAR, I walk through the day FEARFUL.

When I PUT ON DESPAIR, I walk through the day HOPELESS.

When you PUT ON __________, what do you become?

To PUT ON means to wear something like a garment.

Hmm.

What about you?

What did youPUT ON this morning?

ANXIETY?

FEAR?

DISAPPOINTMENT?

CONTROL?

__________?

And how is what you are WEARING affecting the way you are walking?

Maybe this is where "IT'S NOT ABOUT ME" needs to begin every morning.

Because I can become so consumed with

how I feel..

what I fear...

what I need...

what I want...

what I can't control...

that before I know it, I have dressed myself in ME.

But GOD

offers me something completely different.

HE tells me to PUT ON JESUS~

"Clothe yourselves with the LORD JESUS CHRIST.."(Romans 13:14)

There it is.

I don't have to manufacture PEACE.

I PUT ON THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

I don't have to manufacture HOPE.

I PUT ON THE GOD OF HOPE.

I don't have to manufacture COURAGE.

I PUT ON CHRIST and trust HIS strength instead of mine.

Because...

"IT'S NOT ABOUT ME".

It's about WHO I AM WEARING.

When I PUT ON CHRIST, I can PUT OFF what belongs to the old me.

PUT OFF ANXIETY and receive HIS PEACE.

PUT OFF FEAR and walk in FAITH.

PUT OFF DESPAIR and hold onto HOPE.

And as I  PUT ON JESUS,

something begins to happen.

The

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

begins to become visible on the outside because the

HOLY SPIRIT is working on the inside.

Therefore,

 I PRESS FORWARD in JOY

when discouragement tries to overtake me.

I PRESS FORWARD in PEACE

when anxiety ruffles my feathers.

I PRESS FORWARD in PATIENCE

when waiting makes me restless.

I PRESS FORWARDin KINDNESS and GOODNESS

when selfishness tries to keep me in my own little world.

I PRESS FORWARD in FAITHFULNESS

when doubt tells me not to trust.

I PRESS FORWARD in GENTLENESS

when pride wants its own way.

I PRESS FORWARD in SELF-CONTROL

when the rebellious child inside of me wants to take over.

And above all, I PRESS FORWARD in LOVE.

Not because I am capable of producing all of this on my own,

but because

JESUS LIVES IN ME.

THE FRUIT isn't my FRUIT.

It is HIS FRUIT being produced through me.

There it is again.

"IT'S NOT ABOUT ME".

Less of what I can produce.

More of what HE produces through me.

Because whatever fills me on the inside

will eventually be seen on the outside.

Paul writes:

"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—

put it into practice. And the GOD of peace will be with you"(Philippians 4:9.)

Therefore,

what will you PUT ON today?

How about, before you put on anything else,

PUT ON JESUS.

Wear

HIS PEACE.

Walk in

HIS LOVE.

Depend on

HIS STRENGTH.

Display

HIS FRUIT.

And let the world see less of you

and

MORE of HIM.

Because...

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME.

It's

JUST JESUS.

So today,

my prayer is simple:

"GIVE ME JESUS"

(listen to "Give Me Jesus" below)

https://youtu.be/bbh43MGoigw