FRUITFULNESS: GROWTH IN GRACE

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – 2 Peter 3:18

Fruitfulness is a form of growth, and growth is a must for any living thing. Growth is actually a vital sign of life. This is also true concerning spiritual things. However, growth does not happen merely through information. Information alone – knowing what is required to grow – is not sufficient to transform behaviour that would result in growth. Physical growth comes by eating the right foods, breathing the right air, and doing the right exercises. Spiritual growth is a process of transformation through impartation from the Spirit within and godly agencies without.

As followers of the Lord Jesus, we all want to grow and change spiritually and in all aspects of life. More than two thousand years ago, the Lord revealed to His disciples the route to such: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (Jh.15:4). Jesus is the Vine and we, His followers are the branches. We’re utterly destitute and unproductive apart from Him. But in Him, there are no limits to our fruitfulness.

A change in behaviour begins with Jesus transforming your heart. As you surrender yourself, your will, your passions and pride to the Lord Jesus, and abide in Him, and have His Word abide in you, He’ll transform you spiritually and reproduce more of His life in you. The Lord wants to plant His Word in your heart so that you can grow in grace and in your knowledge of Him. There is a grace for fruitfulness that comes through intimate fellowship with the Lord – His Spirit and His Word.

2 Peter 1:4-10 reveals how Christians can be fruitful, keep from being near-sighted, and avoid falling. Practically, this infers adding to your faith virtue, patience, self-control, goodness, brotherly-kindness, and love. This list reinforces the Fruit of the Spirit referred to in Galatians 5:22-24. When you learn to “add to faith” you will never forget that you were cleansed from sin and that you’ve been saved by grace through faith. You thus create the avenue for ‘Grace for Fruitfulness’ to grow and flow.