Devotional Guide for Thursday, January 25

Matthew 7:13-23

Reflect
“By their fruit you will recognize them.” (v16)

Have you ever heard the idiom “it’s all smoke and no fire”? It’s a phrase that means there is a lot of talk and speculation but no real evidence to support it.

Jesus is saying that by a person’s fruit, the evidence of who they really are, will tell you what you need to know about them. Are they true to the gospel or are they fake? It’s hard for someone to pretend to be something for a long time. Eventually the real person shines through. Just like a tree cannot produce fruit it is not created to produce, the true character of an individual will eventually be seen.

Apply
What type of fruit is your life producing? Is it consistent with being a follower of Jesus?

Pastor Terry

Pray for Stephen Alksne (House of Prayer Edmonton)
I was raised in Edmonton and when I was around 15 years old I came to a saving faith in Jesus. In my earlier days, I began attending House of Prayer Edmonton and immediately saw a profound growth in my personal prayer life. Through many life events, I strongly felt that the Lord was handing to me an invitation to be on staff at HoPE vocationally. I have now been on staff at the House of Prayer Edmonton for the last 10 years, which has been one of the great honours of my life. We are a ministry that is focused on praying for the city for things like believers in the workplace, the lost, the homeless, families, etc... Also, as a local non-denominational ministry, we have a great heart for bringing the church together in unity, so we have done many events where we gather the various churches of Edmonton together for worship and prayer. For Canada’s political climate, that the work we do to serve the community would not be hindered.