MONDAY 5th
2 Peter 1:8–10
‘For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so near sighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.’
In verse 2 of this chapter, we read about grace and peace being multiplied, in verse 8 today we see about the qualities increasing, and as they increase our lives will be productive, fruitful, in the knowledge of Jesus Christ which speaks of multiplication. I also see here that as we become fruitful in our knowledge of Jesus, we will also become fruitful in our lives. The more we get to know Jesus, the more we should become like him.
As the disciples of Jesus, we are called to be fruitful, back in John 15 we have the narrative which tells us that Jesus is the true vine and that we are the branches, in verse 2 we read ‘Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit’.
God requires us to be fruitful, he is the gardener, the husbandman, the vine dresser who checks the branches, what he will do is something we need to take very seriously, let’s hear it again, ‘every branch that does not bear fruit he takes away’ (NIV ‘cuts off), ‘every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear much more fruit’.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be pruned rather than cut off!
Over the last few weeks, I have been going through the garden cutting off and pruning. Cutting off because of deadness and pruning to make the plants more fruitful or productive next year.
May we allow the Husbandman, the Vinedresser, the Gardener do his work, to prune us where we need pruning and to cut off what needs cutting off so that we may be more spiritually productive and fruitful in the work of the Lord. Colossians 1:9-12 says ‘For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.’
I have no idea how many read or listen to the devotions each day, but my desire or prayer is that God will use them as one of his tools to enable us to become more fruitful in our lives, that we may bear fruit that will be to the glory of his name.