The Lord wants our lives to be fruitful and productive. One of the ways He sets these qualities into
our lives is through His Word.
As the rain and the snow come down
from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it
bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but
will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Is
55:10-11).
This prophecy uses the illustration of moisture (rain and
snow) to show the nourishing properties of God’s Word. If the Lord speaks about our lives, or our
ministry, He will watch over those Words to bring them to pass . . . not just
because He told us so, but so that our lives will also nourish and bring
fruitfulness to those whom He sends us to.
God’s words to us should instill faith and change our lives.
To become fruitful, our faith must go through constant transformation, just as
a seed does in order for it to become mature fruit and then food on our
tables. Peter writes
Make every effort to add to your faith
goodness; and to add to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you
possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet
1:5-7).
God gives us faith so that we might take ahold of the
knowledge of His image, and so that we would believe that we could live as
Jesus did. Peter’s advice to us should
cause the Christian to bear the fruit of love, and be productive.
Peter continues, saying that, if anyone does not have these
things (mentioned above), “he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that
he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Pet 1:9). If we do not keep our
eyes on Jesus, Whose image we desire, then we are tempted to look inwardly, and
become “near-sighted” or introspective.
This will accomplish the opposite of faith, leading us into a cycle of
repeated confessions for our short-comings and sins. Though we should acknowledge our sins and
repent of them, their admission will not form us into God’s image: faith
will.
Peter goes on to tell us to “be all the more eager to make
your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never fall.”
(2 Pet 1:10). To add to our faith ensures that we will not fall. To “forget” that we have forgiveness for our
sins through Jesus will lead us into a life of failure, falling from God’s
grace, and an unproductive faith. If we are unfruitful and unproductive, we
cannot nourish those around us.
I have heard many Christians speak doubt about having a
calling. Their lives become barren because
of doubt. They are encouraged to follow
others, but to do nothing themselves.
This is an unfruitful life, brought about by false teaching. Interestingly, Peter uses the illustration of
moisture to speak about false teachers; “These men are springs without water
and mists driven by a storm.” (2 Pet 2:17) There will be no fruit born by those
who follow them, for they do not speak God’s Words, but their own. True prophets and teachers will nourish, not
bring drought to our souls.
I would like to encourage you to revive God’s personal Word
to you, and to believe that He will accomplish all He has spoken. Live your lives as one who has faith, making
your calling and election sure. Then we
will be able to nourish all whom the Lord sends us to. Amen.
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