PRODUCING FRUIT THROUGH SERVING

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” –  Colossians 1:9-10.

Many Christians equate bearing fruit with winning people to Jesus Christ. And certainly, that is a big part of it. If counting each person that you bring to Christ is the fruit that God looks for and counts for eternity, then Jeremiah is going to be disappointed. He spent his life following what God asked him to do and never had one convert. No doubt there have been missionaries who have served in inhospitable places and never had a convert.

Many Christians haven’t brought many others to the Lord, yet they can still bear fruit that lasts for eternity. While winning people to the Lord is part and parcel of our job description as Christians, that job description also includes living out one’s faith and glorifying God through actions, words, and attitudes.

Wherever you are today, wherever God has you, and whatever your circumstances may be, God is bearing fruit in your life. You may not be able to see the fruit. Perhaps all you can see and feel are barren trees and infertile soil. You are praying for rain, and no rain comes. There doesn’t seem to be much fruit.

But the reality is that God has you, sees you, knows you, and loves you. He has a specific and meaningful purpose for your life. So rather than stress to find and produce His purposes for your life, focus on staying close to Jesus and keeping your connection with Him vibrant and alive. Keep Jesus first, and He will produce fruit in your life.

God wants us to grow more like Him while actively engaging with the world around us. Indeed, what we do should involve explaining the good news of Jesus to those around us. However, it also means living out the good news of the gospel through serving. God wants you to be part of what He is doing. That sounds monumental, but it can be as easy as helping that neighbor with his yard work, making that difficult phone call, or greeting and shaking hands on Sunday morning.  You can show the love of Christ and help others. You could still be watering seeds through prayer. We can still be giving to places on the frontline to get the Gospel out. We can always serve.

Jesus is our greatest example of servant leadership. In following Jesus and claiming to be disciples or Christians, we must do what He did. We must be willing to serve. God’s Word tells us, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10).

Discussion Questions:

1. Following Jesus and sacrificially serving others are inseparable. Agree or disagree and why?
2. Was there a time you sacrificially served someone? Describe the impact that you had on them and yourself. 
3. What is preventing you from sacrificially serving others…from serving the needs you see?