Today I was awakened by the soft sweet voice of our Lord, encouraging me to get up and go for a power walk with Him. As I stepped outside of my house in the country, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the many birds singing praises to the Lord. Then, all of a sudden, this beautiful concerto was drowned out by the blaring toot of an approaching train. This didn’t stop the birds from singing their symphony, however. They kept on singing happily as if nothing had happened. It just made it nearly impossible to hear them.

The Lord immediately made me aware that often we as Christians are like these trains. We think we are doing a great job for the Lord, but we are really only making a horrible noise in His ears. But, why am I so hard on trains? Don’t they bring goods into cities? And they don’t stop for anything until their load is delivered! These are good things, right? Likewise, Christians are involved in ministries to the benefit of others! And they often don’t stop at anything until their work for the Lord is complete. But unless we spend quality time with the Lord, all of our “works” are meaningless. All we succeed is being thunderous noises in God’s ears that drown out the beautiful praises all around.

Wow!

I immediately began to wonder if I spend so much time in ministry that I don’t have time to spend with Christ!

The Lord replied: “Only if you let your ministry take precedence over me. Just like the singing of birds are more important to me than the blaring toot of a thundering train, so my relationship with you is more important to me than your ministry.”

As I was pondering these words a few hours later in church, a lady with the voice of a nightingale sang a solo to the glory of God. “She is singing as sweetly as those birds this morning, Lord!” I thought. “This is a great ministry she is offering!”

“Only if she follows MY melody!” Was the immediate reply.

It is true that we, as Christians, often tend to sing our songs by our own melody. Our melody should always be in tune with our relationship with Christ. It’s all about Him, not us!

As I opened God’s Word, the same message was given to me again. Whenever God gives His message 3 times in one day to someone, it is of utmost importance, and it’s of even more importance when He puts a burden on someone’s heart to share this with others. So here I am pecking away on my keyboard, delivering God’s message to you.

Matt 7:16 “By their fruit you will recognize them.” NIV

As soon as I read this text, I was thinking of Gal 5:22. However the Lord said that this was not the fruit He had in mind and to continue to read on.

To my surprise verses 21 and 22 jumped out at me: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'” NIV

The context clearly shows that the fruit in Matthew 7 is NOT prophesying in the Lord’s name, nor is it driving demons out nor performing miracles. Aren’t those fruits of God’s Spirit? I wouldn’t be able to drive out demons without God’s Spirit. So aren’t these manifestations of discipleship? But the Lord told me No!

So what could the fruit be?

“Read on!”

Then I saw it:

1. Verse 23: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” NIV

The fruit referring in Matthew 7 is having a personal relationship with God the Father. If we don’t know Him, ministry becomes unimportant. Ministry only becomes relevant when we can converse with our Heavenly Father and when we hear His tender and loving voice! Again, it is not our melody, but God’s melody!

2. Verse 24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” NIV

The fruit is not only hearing God’s voice. It is putting into practice what He is telling us. A ministry only becomes relevant if it’s where God wants it to be. Again, a personal relationship with God is stressed in Matthew 7.

3. Verse 25: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” NIV

The fruit is also having our foundation on the Rock of our salvation: Jesus Christ. So many problems would easily be solved if we yielded to Jesus. He has the answer to all of our problems. Our ministry as well should be founded on Jesus Christ, because He told us to!

Christianity is not just another religion, where people through their works are trying to please a God. In fact, God doesn’t care about our works. He says it plainly in Eph 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” NIV We are saved because of Jesus. Our ministry only becomes relevant because of Jesus. We are righteous only because of Jesus. Our fruit is only produced by Jesus! No wonder Jesus could boldly say: John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” NIV

Am I carrying fruit at all? If so, which fruit am I carrying? Join me in bearing Jesus’ fruit! Let us welcome Jesus as our personal Saviour and enjoy our personal relationship with Him. It is time to stop the train and to start playing God’s melody. He is our all and our reason of being. Hallelujah!

Rob Chaffart