Page 2 of 2The varieties of fruit Jesus speaks of here, character and ministry, are found in the divine orchard; that is to say, in Christ's own life. Hence, to bear the fruit of imitating Christ, we must get Christ's words down to a T.
To worship God. Worshiping God is the cause of our existence, the very reason for our existence. The Lord puts it quite plainly. "My chosen people [are] / the people whom I formed for myself / so that they might declare my praise" (Isaiah 43:20-21).
Whatever we do in everyday life is related to worship. Certainly God honors those who are committed workers for his kingdom. But before we commit ourselves to such work, we must become true worshipers. Mary of Bethany is a good example; she was a true worshiper at the feet of Jesus before she used her precious jar of perfume on him. Even today the power of committed service has its source in true worship. Mary pleased the Lord with her worshipful act, and we please the Lord with similar acts of worship.
God seeks true worshipers. Jesus made this explicit when he spoke to the woman at the well.
"The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24). Worshiping "in Spirit" means worshiping in the Holy Spirit; worshiping "in truth" means according to the truth, that is, according to the Word of God. Aaron's Sons are an illustration of those who do just the opposite.
"Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the LORD, such as he had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD" (Leviticus 10:1-2).
We have been called to worship him according to the Scriptures.
To fulfill God's mission.Jesus committed the Scriptures to memory and had full mastery over them. His being was filled with the Scriptures. As a child he grew in wisdom on account of them. He walked in them, proclaimed them even from the cross, even as he was accomplishing God's work of redemption.
Jesus commissioned his first disciples to make disciples of their own, and not only in Judea but in all the nations of the world (Matthew 28:19-20). To fulfill this mission the disciples had to learn the words of Christ by heart. Once the Scriptures were impressed on their hearts, they were ready to teach everything that the Lord had commanded.
The disciples weren't able to carry the Scriptures in book form as we do today. They had to depend on their memory to fulfill their mission. If the Scriptures had not been memorized, they would never have been recorded on paper.
In the footsteps of the first disciples, we too have a mission to the world. We must diligently commit the books of the Bible to memory, which will transform our hearts as stewards prepared with the truth of his Word.
The apostle Paul speaks to this point explicitly: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
When should we read, pray, memorize? Every day without exception. No less than fifteen minutes and no more than thirty minutes a day. One chapter a week should be manageable by most readers. If you find yourself overwhelmed, take a week's refreshment and see my book for ideas in getting unstuck. Then return to the spot where you left off. The Lord will surely bless your effort.
Adapted from Scripture by Heart by Joshua Choonmin Kang (IVP). Used with permission.
