Week 39 - Targets

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30).

I sometimes feel stress and anxiety from sports. It can be a lot of pressure having to compete every day, and that pressure can increase with success. Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin said that years ago, his team started to have success but they would fall short in the playoffs, and that would bring him to a low point. He said that a conversation with his wife changed the way he coaches.

Coach Corbin's wife said, "If you are going to live and die with your success based on the last game, you are going to die a miserable person. You are going to have to find other ways to value what you're doing as a coach." He needed to change the target by removing the scoreboard and winning.

I need to change my TARGET. But what needs to be the TARGET?

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus had returned from the grave and was spending His final days with His disciples when He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

One of Jesus's last messages to His disciples was to be a disciple and to make a disciple. That is the TARGET.

A disciple is a personal follower of Jesus. We are supposed to learn from Him to live like Him. What does that mean? What does that look like?

In John 15, Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

He goes on to say, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself: it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

Jesus then says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Jesus is telling us to be disciples, and if we are truly His disciples and remain in Him, we will bear much fruit. But, what is the fruit?

In Galatians 5:22-23, it is written, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Our TARGET is to produce those things. We are called to be disciples, and we are called to be a light that displays this fruit to the world. The world gets to see the fruit of Jesus in us and through us.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus tells His disciples, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."

That is God's plan for us. That is my new TARGET. The TARGET is to show people the fruit of the Spirit and so that people can taste the fruit. I want people around me to taste and see that the Lord is good. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

There is nothing like being around someone who is positive, who is bearing good fruit, and when you come around them, you receive positive energy and nourishment.

THIS WEEK

1 - Let your TARGET be trying to be the best disciple that you can be by bearing good fruit. When people see you and when people are around you, they should see and taste the goodness of God.

2 - Abide in Jesus. Do that by praying every morning when you get up, every day at lunch, and every night. Everyone who abides in Jesus will bear much fruit.

3 - Let your light shine. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Pray: Our Father, I want to bear good fruit. I want people to see and be able to taste your goodness when they are around me. Help me bring people to you by letting my light shine through the fruits that I produce.

For a Google doc version of this, click here: Week 39 - Targets