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John Barnett

Pastor John Barnett

 

Word-Filled Resources from the Ministry of John Barnett

 

 

 

DSS Book Cover Smaller

John's newest book,
David's Spiritual Secret , is now
available online. This
book traces David as a
young man and how
he resisted peer
pressures
to sin;
David as a young
married man with job
stress
, and the
struggles of job loss;
David in his career
and making godly
choices
, then his
midlife crisis and sins
with Bathsheba; and
finally how David
shows us the way to
live well to the
end for God
. 
 
The Good Heart 
Grows In Clean Soil 
(John 15:1-8)

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How far down the road of life have you walked? Most American's die at about 75 years old. Are you halfway or more through a normal lifetime yet?

 

How much of last week was deposited in Heaven? How much of your time and energies were used by the Lord for His purposes and for His glory? We make deposits in the bank of Heaven by allowing God to control our time, our talents, our attitudes, and our actions.

 

His control produces fruit. That control is called walking in the Spirit or abiding in Christ. Abiding is a choice we make. God commands us to abide twice in John 15. We make daily, hourly, and moment-by-moment choices whether or not to obey.

 

Fruit is when we grab moments of time flowing past in that 60-minute -per-hour river we live with, and in the power of God use them for His glory. Then we have something left from those evaporating drops of time that God says we can redeem and deposit into the Bank of Heaven.

 

So how is your account in Heaven? Do you have a plan to make regular and systematic deposits? Today as we look again at the call to us that Jesus makes to abide in Him throughout our lifetime on earth - I want to look at a new angle. How are those of us past the halfway point of life, those of us on the other side of the hill - how are we doing?

 

The statistics of our country go like this:

  • Populations USA: 6,810,870,654 (as of 3/24/2010)
  • Average life expectancy is: 76.65 (males) and 80.69 (females).

Today do some math in your heart and mind. Think of yourself as a statistic for just a moment. Figure how far you MAY have from today to the finish line. It is amazing to look at the official figures from our last census. There were exactly half of all Americans less than 39 years old, and the rest over 39. So men and women, boys and girls - your half way point is about 39 years of age. Can I talk very directly to all of us here that are more than halfway to the end?

  • 16% of us are 35/44 years old, What are you doing to maximize your deposits in Heaven?
  • 13.4 % of us are 45/54 years old, What are you doing to maximize your deposits in Heaven?
  • 8.6 % of us are 55/64 years old, What are you doing to maximize your deposits in Heaven?
  • 6.5 % of us are 65/74 years old, What are you doing to maximize your deposits in Heaven?
  • 4.4 % of us are 75/84 years old, Are you maximizing your time for Him?
  • 1.5% of us are 85+ years on earth! Wow, if you are past the mid-eighties you are facing eternity AT ANY MOMENT. You are a heartbeat away, a breath away from the gates of Glory. Live every one of your moments for Him, you will be seeing Him soon, face to face!

Open now with me to John 15:2, where Jesus says that all He rates us on in life is that one word FRUIT. Look how He classifies every believer as either fruitful or non-fruitful. If we are fruitful He wants to encourage us to further fruit. If we are non-fruitful right now He is going to intervene.

 

v. 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruitHe takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

 

Do you realize that when you and I were saved we enlisted God Himself as our personal, lifelong gardener? With pruning clippers in hand He is ALWAYS at work! When we are fruitful, God moves in to make us "more fruitful".

 

To continue reading this message on Abiding Satisfied please click here.

 

 

Yours Because His,
John Barnett, Pastor and the entire DTBM Staff

 

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