Be fruitful

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” John 15v4-5 (AMP)

As believers, God will have us bear fruit, and this comes from being connected to Jesus. 2 Peter 1 talks about certain things that a believer needs to increase in – faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Verse 8 (KJV) says “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Living Bible says “The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ. But anyone who fails to go after these additions to faith is blind indeed, or at least very shortsighted and has forgotten that God delivered him from the old life of sin so that now he can live a strong, good life for the Lord” (2 Peter 1v8-9). Here, the Bible is saying it is not enough to just believe in Christ, become born again and stop there. There are certain things that we need to diligently add to our faith. Just as a seed does not automatically become a big tree, we need to keep exercising these things – virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity –, keep growing in them and not be discouraged.

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your Word this day. We thank You for our faith in Christ and the redemption of our souls. Father, help us to abide in Christ always and grant us the grace to grow in things that would help us be fruitful and spiritually strong and useful in Jesus name, amen.