God the Father keeps a close eye on his vine. Bad branches he chops away and burns. Good branches, he prunes, a painful process of discipline. For they [our parents] disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:10-11 The Father wants fruit, first the fruit of righteousness. Without that, we cannot do his work in the world. He needs holy people, not busy people. The Word of the Lord does the work, whether we take notes or not, whether we try to learn or just sit back and let it wash over us. Don’t underestimate the power of the word of God. The fruit of righteousness is good works. Before the new birth, our works are useless, but afterward they are a delight to God. Why? Because fruit proves that there is life and spiritual growth in that branch. Believing in Jesus really means believing into him. “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” John 14:19-20 And we want to cooperate with the process of moving deeper and deeper into him. Our total personality comes into the grip of God’s grace and we become more human. It’s a slow, incremental process done by “the ordinary means of grace”: observing the Lord’s Day with the Lord’s people around the Lord’s word. Also based on 1 John 1:5-7, Titus 2:13-14, Isaiah 5:7, 1 Corinthians 1:28-31, Jeremiah 9:23-24
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Dr. Liam Goligher was Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church from May of 2011 until December of 2023. He previously pastored churches in Ireland, Canada, England, and his native Scotland.
Dr. Goligher has been closely involved in Bible teaching and evangelistic ministry...
