The Choices and Words That Build Your Life
December 17, 2023 · 2:12:30 · Watch on YouTube ↗
These notes - summary, key points, and highlighted thoughts - were generated by AI from the recording and are not the preacher’s exact words.
Summary
The preacher opens with the picture of a single rose. His wife cut off the last small stem from a rose bush and planted it, and from that discarded cutting one beautiful flower grew. So it is with the righteous: wherever life places you, however overlooked you feel, you will still bear God's fruit. From there he urges every believer to make the right choice in life, because our blessing rests on the words we speak.
Drawing on the report of the twelve spies (Deuteronomy 1; Numbers 13), he shows how ten men destroyed Israel's faith with fearful words while Joshua and Caleb spoke faith: God is with us. A careless word can tear down in a moment what took years to build, whether at home or in the church. Caleb kept speaking faith, and even at eighty he still asked for his mountain and went up to take it.
Through Ruth's loyalty - I will not leave you - which led to the line of David and of Christ, and through Paul's willing choice to suffer for the gospel, the preacher calls listeners to choose faithfulness. Speak words full of life, build others up instead of tearing them down, stay faithful through every trial, and a great reward awaits.
Key Points
- The righteous bear fruit wherever they are planted, even when overlooked or cast aside.
- Our blessing rests on our words - speak life, not fear, over your family, your church, and yourself.
- Ten spies destroyed a whole nation's faith with fear, while Joshua and Caleb chose words of faith.
- What you confess about God shapes your experience of Him: as you have said, so it can become.
- Caleb still asked for his mountain at eighty because he never stopped speaking faith.
- Ruth's faithful I will not leave you placed her in the lineage of Christ - right choices echo for generations.
- Like Paul, choosing to suffer for Christ never ends in loss; a great reward awaits the faithful.
Devotional
Every day sets a choice before you, and often it is as small as the words you let leave your mouth. Will you speak fear over your home and your church, or faith, like Caleb who at eighty still asked for his mountain? God is listening, and He honors the words of those who trust Him. Today choose to bless rather than tear down, to stay faithful like Ruth rather than turn back. Where God has planted you, even unseen, you can still bring forth a beautiful and lasting fruit.
Wherever God plants the righteous, even where no one sees, they still bear beautiful fruit.
One careless word can tear down what took you years to build.
Caleb was eighty and still said, give me this mountain, I will take it.
