Welcome!
Today: Growing and bearing fruit
Passage: Colossians 1
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying
for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, (Col 1, NIV)-emphasis added
Browsing through a Christian magazine, I found these words: “Religion is flourishing, but morality is floundering”
There is an apparent growth of religion-Christianity, but there is also so much of
compromise and complacency; morality is going down
A graph of religion vs. morality may show one line going up and the other down, making it look somewhat like a trumpet!
These are signs of the trumpet call, which I belive, is not too far away
So, there is not much to boast about an apparent growth, unless Jesus is really happy about it. While the church is boasting about numbers and members, Jesus is all about true love, holiness and commitment
He wants us to bear fruit and keep growing, in a healthy way
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col 2, NIV)
What a rich verse! Read it again, a few times. There is so much in that one verse
Jesus wants us to be rooted in Him, to receive from Him and to overcome all the winds and waves of life, and to produce fruit that benefits others
7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jer 17, NIV)-emphasis added
If we plant a tree in our own land, it belongs to us and we expect fruit from it.
God has the same rights on us since He is the one who planted us in His farm, His kingdom. If we don’t bear fruit, if we don’t bring out what pleases Him, He can do whatever he wants, with us. Also, the tree does not eat its own fruit; it is for others!
In what way are we a blessing to others?
Be a blessing, as we are blessed by the Lord
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I never knew I belong to you so much and that you have the right to get the fruit from me. I admit I have been so selfish and it was always just “me”. It is time to be about you and about others. So Help me Lord! Amen
“As God’s plantation, growing and bearing fruit is not an option; it is our obligation”