“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.  And he who loves me will    be loved by my Father, and I will love him and   manifest myself to him.” – John 14:21

 Near the conclusion of Jonathan Edwards’ “A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections,” he addresses how  the fruit of the believer’s life is by far the best indicator   of their salvation.  This indicator helps the individual either find assurance, or even concern if there is a lack of genuine fruit.  He would go on to indicate that even looking for fruit can be deceptive as there can be false fruit or things that look like good fruit but actually have a rotten core or wrong motivation.  So Edwards continues his discussion by giving two defining       characteristics of the life of a believer.  It is these two characteristics that I believe will be helpful to meditate on and use to examine the current product of our lives.

First, Edwards states “The main and most proper   proof of a man’s having a heart to anything, concerning which he is at liberty to follow his own inclinations,  and either to do or not to do as he pleases, is his doing of it.”  When you are left with “free-time” or down time what does your heart long to do?  It is what we do  with this time that reveals what we really love.  This does not mean you will constantly be reading your   Bibles, but is your down time activities giving glory    to God?  This may mean you need to spend more of your down time in prayer or studying the Scriptures.   It may also mean that your recognize and give God thanks in everything you are enabled to do, whether that is playing with your children, preparing a meal,    or building a desk.  When your mind has a moment     to breath, does it find joy in reflecting on its’ creator?

Second, Edwards continues, “The things that put it to the proof whether men will prefer God to other things in practice, are the difficulties of religion, or those things which occur that make the practice of duty      difficult…”  Will you still love God when loving Him  is difficult or you may face persecution for it?  Or even better in modern days, will you love God and seek to know Him even when it is inconvenient to do so?  Our fruit will be tested when the storms come.  How quick are you to abandon the love of God when the pressures and time constraints of life are suffocating you?  Do you study the Scriptures even though it may mean less   sleep or me-time?  Do you spend time in prayer even when you know this sweet communion may mean cold meals or early mornings?

May the believer find these tests to be challenging    and convicting.  And from that conviction may we   seek to worship our creator through a greater love of Him.  May the unbeliever find these tests frightening.  And may that fear lead the unbeliever to repentance.

Pastor Jamie