Doing, Developing, Bearing 5-6-09

We are now in the season of our New Dreams cottage meetings in which, among other things we are dreaming Spirit-guided dreams for the mission and ministry of Prince of Peace. It is a fun process getting to know one another, hearing your dreams, envisioning your visions, imagining what is possible for this mission outpost for Jesus. With God anything is possible! So it is fun to stretch the horizons of our dreams.

Sometimes we talk about things we should do – they are many good and faithful things that fall into this category. Sometimes we talk about programs we should develop – more great ideas.

Here something else we can talk about – fruit we could bear.

I ran across an interesting quote, “Have you ever noticed the difference in the Christian life between work and fruit? A machine can do work; only life can bear fruit.” Andrew Murray

I have worked in factories where there are production quotas. You should produce x number of pieces in your 8 hour shift, if not you better have a good reason such as the amount of time the machine was down for repairs.

I have also watched the promise in the blossoms of trees this time of year with time and care become the abundant harvest of the fall. Bearing fruit takes more than the machinations of work. Bearing fruit takes the hand of God working together with the essence of life.

St. Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10

Do you see the connection, “bearing fruit in every good work”? We work, yes, but we do so not as a spiritual production quota but as a natural consequence of life that is growing in God. As surely as fruit follows flower so does our doing and developing follow our growing, fruit of our relationship in, with and through Christ.

In Christ's grace and peace,
Jeff Silvernail