Growth and Fruit Bearing

[Daily Devotional]

Growth and Fruit Bearing

That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be
sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Phil. 1:9, 10.  

     It is the Lord's desire that His followers shall grow in grace,
that their love shall abound more and more, that they shall be filled
with the fruits of righteousness. . . . Where there is life, there will
be growth and fruit bearing; but unless we grow in grace, our
spirituality will be dwarfed, sickly, fruitless. It is only by growing,
by bearing fruit, that we can fulfill God's purpose for us. "Herein is
my Father glorified," Christ said, "that ye bear much fruit" (John
15:8). in order to bear much fruit, we must make the most of our
privileges. We must use every opportunity granted us for obtaining
strength.  

     A pure, noble character, with all its grand possibilities, has been
provided for every human being. But there are many who have not an
earnest longing for such a character. They are not willing to part with
the evil that they may have the good. Great opportunities are placed
within their reach. But they neglect to grasp the blessings that would
place them in harmony with God. They work at cross-purposes with the One
who is seeking their good. They are dead branches, having no living
union with the Vine. They cannot grow.  

     One of the divine plans for growth is impartation. The Christian is
to gain strength by strengthening others. "He that watereth shall be
watered also himself" (Prov. 11:25). This is not merely a promise; it is
a divine law, a law by which God designs that the streams of
benevolence, like the waters of the great deep, shall be kept in
constant circulation, continually flowing back to their source. . . .  

     Christians, is Christ revealed in us? Are we doing all in our power
to gain a body that is not easily enfeebled, a mind that looks beyond
self to the cause and effect of every movement, that can wrestle with
hard problems and conquer them, a will that is firm to resist evil and
defend the right? Are we crucifying self? Are we growing up unto the
full stature of men and women in Christ?  

>From That I May Know Him - Page 164