We have one of two options in this life. We can either bear fruit of ourselves or become the hunter. To choose the former is to accept the life the Lord has for us. And to choose the latter, we become Cain, a man who offered the Lord the work of his own hand.
"The wicked desires the booty of evil men, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous yields [richer fuitage]." Proverbs 12:12, Amplified
In all pirate stories we have read over the years, we find that there is often a mutiny on board because the crew covet the riches of the captain. They want more and more. I think this was well displayed for us in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Evil men work for what they get and have to stay on guard, for there are others who covet what they have. In guarding your possessions all the time, you have no time to enjoy them. The new game to play is making sure that no one else can enjoy them.
However the root of the righteous yields much fruit. The righteous are rooted in the Lord. He is their supplier. In the nutrients that He gives, they are able to bear fruit. Have you ever seen a tree guard its fruit? That would be a silly thing. You see there is a extreme difference here. Evil men hide and hoard. The righteous man is placed here on earth to feed others. The fruit on the tree is not meant to nourish the tree, but to feed others. All the nutrients the tree needs are found in the soil that it is rooted in.
As long as we are planted in the Word of God, then we are getting all the nutrients that we need. From this symbiotic relationship, we then bear fruit for others to partake of.
"The wicked is [dangerously] snared by the transgressions of his lips, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall come out of trouble." Proverbs 12:13, Amplified
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45, NKJV) It is true, what is placed in the heart is stored and will eventually find its way out. You have heard that one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Once we open our mind to influences outside of the Lord, we risk that spoilage.
If we fill ourselves with the Lord and Him alone, the abundance of our heart will always deliver us. "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit." (Mark 13: 11, NKJV)
"From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and work of a man's hand will come back to him." Proverbs 12:14, Amplified
The man who trusts in the Lord will always be satisfied from the Lord. When we are planted in the Lord, we ooze the goodness of the Lord. As good leaves us, good is returned. I understand that the life of a Christian is littered with many stories of sorrow and tribulation. The satisfaction we receive is being able to see the Lord in everything, including the bad. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, NKJV)
We cannot get the second half of this verse confused with verse 12 in this devotion. A wicked man seeks to satisfy himself with the work of his own hand. However, a man of God uses the works of his hands to glorify his God. Those works will come back to bless that man.
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