The Secret of Fruitfulness
“10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ,to the glory and praise of God.”
Perfection, for us humans, can only be found within the context of Jesus’ resurrection. Quite often, we don’t even try to live a perfect life because it seems futile. We are reminded over and over each day that we are fallible. But, the life of Christ calls us to be sincere in our efforts for righteousness.
It seems we too often forget that all our “fruits of righteousness” are “by Jesus Christ,”. Without the resurrection power of Jesus at work in our hearts we have nothing with which to truly praise God. He raised us up in His power to live righteous and holy lives; that’s the message of new life in Christ that comes to us at Easter. Should we not then try to live holy?
The power of the resurrection was actualized in the life of the first believers on the day of Pentecost. The risen Christ had ascended but He had not left them alone, and neither does He leave us alone. We have the Holy Spirit who brings resurrection power to our lives; He is the secret power of our fruitfulness.
I find great hope in St. Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians to “approve the things that are excellent,” and to “live without offense”. If you aren’t seeing any fruitfulness in your life, perhaps you haven’t discovered the right source of power – the secret of His fruitfulness. As you begin a new day, won’t you consider how you should be living. Put your trust in Jesus to bring His fruits to bear in your life.
Remember, Christ is risen…and so are you!
Grace & Peace,
+Pastor Brad
Prayer
Lord of life, you call all people to be holy. Show me the fruit of your resurrection blooming in my life, that I may approve all things that are excellent to the glory of your Name. Amen. Alleluia!
image credit: http://www.revelatrium.com/all-fruitfulness-flows-from-intimacy-theres-no-other-place-to-get-it/
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