In the last two issues we meditated on '"Being Faithful. Now let us begin to think of the other part of our goal for this year(1997)-'to be fruitful". Yes, faithfulness must lead us to fruitfulness!. It is worth considering and studying because our Lord Himself desired and commanded His disciples to bear fruit.

To begin with, let us remember that fruit is the ultimate result of growth which in turn is the evidence of life within. As we grow in Christ, His life is manifested in and through our day to day conduct, resulting in the production of spiritual fruit. And according to Col. 1 : 10, fruitfulness results from the knowledge of God's word. This is a beautiful concept. As we grow in the knowledge of God's word, as the words of Jesus abide in our hearts (Jn 15: 7), we become fruitful in every good work. God's children are like trees bearing fruit as per Psalm 1 : 3 - the condition is to be planted by the rivers of water, (we will talk of such conditions, next time). Now, what does the 'fruit' refer to in the Bible ?

A. The Sample of Fruit :- Lets see some examples :-

B. The Source of fruit:- The only time you are going to see productivity and fruitfulness in your life is when you are '"filled with the knowledge of His will". Once you know God's truth and you've principlized and actualized it in your life, then it becomes productive. In fact, if fruit is lacking in your life, it may be due to the empty spaces in your knowledge.

James 3 : 17a '"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruit..". You see, God's wisdom produces good fruit. We can know by experience that the thing that is most directly related to the productivity in our own lives will be the knowledge of God's truth. When you leam God's truth, your life changes and you start seeing fruit-righteous deeds, true praise, genuine prayer- and you begin to be used of God.

II Peter 1: 3-8".... for if these things be in you... they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful....".

To know God's truth, then, is to fertilize the soil to produce fruit. So be filled with and increase in the knowledge of God's word to be fruitful - that is the key. Amen !.