DAILY DEVOTIONAL: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020
SCRIPTURE READING
John 15:8a (KJV) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit
Your Daddy and Mommy have taught you the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, haven’t they? Not the rest of the catechism, maybe, but at least the first question and answer. What is it?
Question 1: What is the chief end of man?
Answer 1: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
Can you repeat that for your Daddy right now? He asks the question, then you give the answer.
Now, what does that mean? It doesn’t do any good to memorize Scripture if we don’t know what it means, right? Same with the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The Westminster Shorter Catechism was a tool written for Daddies and Mommies to use to teach their children about God. It was written 350 years ago, so it’s got 350-year-old words that we don’t use anymore.
For instance, the words “chief end.” “Chief end” means most important purpose or highest goal. It’s like asking why did God make man?
The answer is God made man to bring God glory and to enjoy God forever.
Now then, back to our verse. The word “herein” is also very old and it simply means “in this.” Our highest purpose is to glorify God and Jesus here tells us that we glorify God by bearing a lot of fruit.
But what kind of fruit? Apples? Bananas? Lima beans? Babies?
Yes, babies. God makes a man and wife one so they will propagate godly fruit for Him. You and your brothers and sisters are your Daddy and Mommy’s godly fruit for God.
There are many other ways we bear fruit for God, but no fruit is more basic than the fruit of the husband and wife’s love presenting God with their precious child. This glorifies God.
We’ll talk about other kinds of fruit later in the chapter, but we start with the fruit of godly children (Malachi 2:15). Newborn children are fruit that glorifies God.
Scripture: John 15:8a Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit
QUESTIONS
- What is the chief end of man?
- We glorify God by bearing much _ _ _ _ _?
- What is one kind of fruit your Daddy and Mommy are bearing for God?
SONG OF THE WEEK
Like a River Glorious
Like a river glorious
Is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious
In its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth
Fuller ev’ry day,
Perfect, yet it groweth
Deeper all the way.
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest,
Finding, as he promised,
Perfect peace and rest.
Hidden in the hollow
Of his blessed hand,
Never foe can follow,
Never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry,
Not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry
Touch the spirit there.
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest,
Finding, as he promised,
Perfect peace and rest.
Ev’ry joy or trial
Falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial
By the Sun of Love.
We may trust him fully
All for us to do;
They who trust him wholly
Find him wholly true.
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest,
Finding, as he promised,
Perfect peace and rest.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
My Father, I know it makes You happy to see Your children bearing fruit. I want nothing more than to please You, so make me to be fruitful for You. Amen.
OTHER PRAYER NEEDS
- Praise for the beautiful Spring God is giving us
- For personal holiness to increase
- For the children of our church to love God and His Word
SCRIPTURE MEMORY THIS WEEK
John 15:5-6 (KJV)
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
