Message
Many divine blessings are conditional. This is why there are many “ifs” in God’s covenants with mankind. For instance, in God promised the children of Israel that He would bless them so much so that they would be above all nations of the earth, if they would hearken diligently to His voice and keep His commandments.
The primary purpose of divine blessings is to make the blessed fellow fruitful and a blessing to others. Fruitfulness however, is also one of the conditional blessings of God. The primary condition for fruitfulness is found in :
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
The question then is, “How can I abide in the Vine?” The answer is not far-fetched. You must first become a part of the Vine by responding positively to Jesus’ call in . When you confess Him as your Lord and saviour, you become grafted into the Vine – the Lord Jesus Christ.
The next phase is to abide in Jesus. Abiding in Jesus means living according to His will. Jesus said in , “…if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”. He also said in , “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love”.
You can be fruitful spiritually, like Peter who preached one sermon and 3000 souls were won into the kingdom of God () or Paul, who God healed many sick people through his apron and handkerchiefs (). You can also be fruitful materially, as in the case of Isaac, who became so wealthy that a whole nation began to envy him (). Furthermore, you can also be fruitful physically such that in your old age, you would remain strong, as in the case of Moses ().
Beloved, as we read in our Bible text today, it is dangerous to be unfruitful. You will experience all-round fruitfulness if you surrender your life to Jesus and live according to His will for the rest of your life.
The primary purpose of divine blessings is to make the blessed fellow fruitful and a blessing to others. Fruitfulness however, is also one of the conditional blessings of God. The primary condition for fruitfulness is found in :
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
The question then is, “How can I abide in the Vine?” The answer is not far-fetched. You must first become a part of the Vine by responding positively to Jesus’ call in . When you confess Him as your Lord and saviour, you become grafted into the Vine – the Lord Jesus Christ.
The next phase is to abide in Jesus. Abiding in Jesus means living according to His will. Jesus said in , “…if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”. He also said in , “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love”.
You can be fruitful spiritually, like Peter who preached one sermon and 3000 souls were won into the kingdom of God () or Paul, who God healed many sick people through his apron and handkerchiefs (). You can also be fruitful materially, as in the case of Isaac, who became so wealthy that a whole nation began to envy him (). Furthermore, you can also be fruitful physically such that in your old age, you would remain strong, as in the case of Moses ().
Beloved, as we read in our Bible text today, it is dangerous to be unfruitful. You will experience all-round fruitfulness if you surrender your life to Jesus and live according to His will for the rest of your life.