The ABCs of God's Love Letter: Yield

​Welcome to
​The ABCs of God's Love Letter
25 Weeks. 25 Writers!

We will use the alphabet as an acrostic and study topics like: Abide, Beloved, Calling, Delight, Endure, Faithful, Garment, Hunger, Increase, Justice, Kindness, Light, Manna, Name, Ordain, Path, Quench, Ransom, Salt, Testify, Upright, Vanity, Wait, Yield, and Zeal.

Every week, we’ll discover a different topic. Each topic is accompanied by five Scripture verses—one for each weekday. The Bible study has a page for each verse. Those spaces will invite you to write the verses out and journal what you’ve learned.

Every time I read God’s Word I learn something new. I also find that Scripture writing really helps me meditate, and as I meditate, God always shows me just what I need for that day—it’s AMAZING!​

I pray you’ll join us and learn new and exciting things too from His Word.

DOWNLOAD THE BIBLE STUDY

​This Week We're Looking at Yield

Have you ever taken a look at your Christian life and realized that something is missing? Are you lacking in the fruit of the Spirit that you so desperately want to display? I have personally experienced this unsettling feeling, along with the fact that those who don’t bear fruit will be taken away (John 15:2). Yielding fruit is serious business to God. If you find yourself trying hard, yet seemingly unable to bear good fruit for God’s kingdom, here’s some important news for you. It’s time to stop striving and start yielding. When we truly yield ourselves to God, we will yield fruit for His kingdom.

I want to focus on two meanings of the word “yield:”

1. ​Giving or offering ourselves to God
2. Bearing the kind of fruit God delights in

​Giving or offering ourselves to God
The call to yield ourselves to God is a call for every Christian. Jesus Himself was our example of yielding throughout His life on earth. He always did the will of the Father (John 8:29), even dying a cruel death on a cross to accomplish our salvation.

To yield to God, we need to recognize that we are His servants and make ourselves available to Him. We should listen closely to His direction each day and obey His promptings.

Romans 6:13 says,

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

By yielding to God in obedience, we show that we are truly His servants (Romans 6:16). As a result of our humble submission to God, He will work in our hearts to produce the fruit He desires to see.

Bearing the kind of fruit God delights in
Picture a grapevine, as Jesus talked about in John 15. Jesus is the Vine, and Christians are the branches attached to that Vine. If we are fully attached to Him, He gives us the Living Water to be able to bear fruit. If we’re not yielding fruit, something is wrong with our water supply. It may be that we have a blockage built up inside our branch, preventing that Living Water from flowing to the whole branch.

Branches don’t need to “try harder” to yield fruit. On their own, they’d shrivel up and die. All branches need to do is to stay on the vine, totally open to receiving the water and nutrients they need in order to thrive.

Psalm 1:3 tells us that those who delight in God’s Word and meditate on it day and night will yield fruit in the right seasons, just like a well-watered tree.

What kinds of fruit are you yielding? Jesus said that Christians and unbelievers will both be known by our fruits. If we’re yielding the wrong kind of fruit, we show that we are attached to the wrong vine or tree (James 3:12).

The kinds of fruits that God wants us to produce are listed in Galatians 5:22-23: ​​

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”

As we give the Holy Spirit access to every part of our minds and hearts, He takes away whatever fruit doesn’t align with these things and replaces them with the good fruits. Our part is to cooperate with Him, yielding ourselves to His work.

Whether we’re not bearing any fruit of the Spirit yet or only some, I’m sure we all have much room for growth in this area. God patiently works in each of us, disciplining and pruning so that we will bear even more fruit. ​

“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Hebrews 12:11

Let’s stay connected to Jesus and allow God to do a beautiful work inside us, pruning and fertilizing us, so that we can yield more fruit for His kingdom.

---

Jennifer lives on the eastern shore of Maryland. She's a wife and stay-at-home mom to two active boys. She's dabbled in writing as a hobby over the years and greatly enjoys journaling and putting her thoughts down on paper. She also loves reading, puzzles, listening to Christian music and podcasts, and spending time out in nature.

​Jen loves having heart-to-heart conversations with friends, encouraging others, spending quality time with her family, and knowing she's made a difference in someone’s day! ​​

​As a child of God, saved by grace, she is motivated to draw others into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

​She writes, "God’s grace has gotten me to this point in life, and I want His grace to continue to work in and through me to make my life count for something in God’s kingdom."

FOLLOW HER HERE
​WEB | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

---

​The ABCs of God's Love Letter Scripture Memory Cards

The ABCs of God's Love Letter Bible Study is accompanied by a collection of 25 5 X 5 Scripture Memory Cards. We'll utilize this great tool to help us memorize a Scripture verse once a week that goes with the topic we're studying that week. Hiding God's Word in our heart is so important!

These square press prints are printed on thick, high-quality, matte art paper and include a small white border. They are available here in our Etsy shop. But WAIT, there's more! Just for you —> ​Use code SAVE50 at checkout for 50% OFF your entire order. FREE SHIPPING on orders $35 or more, otherwise, shipping is just $2.00, as always! ​

CHECK OUT THESE SCRIPTURE MEMORY CARDS

---

Thanks for joining the InstaEncouragements weekly Christian link-up! We would really appreciate it if you would grab this IE link-up button, place it on your blog, and link back to this post. Thanks! Have an awesome week! 

If you're new to link-ups, checkout our IE LINK-UP page for a brief explanation and a list of other link-ups to participate in.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

---

​​What does Yield mean to you?